Come Work Off Grid in Chicken, Alaska - Free Housing

Looking for a living expenses paid adventure in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness?

Chicken, Alaska has you covered! We offer you the chance to live out your wilderness cabin era dreams in our employee village! Located in a peaceful rural wilderness setting, with shared recreation areas and kitchen. 

Newly built within the last three years is a group of wooden “studio” cabins amongst the trees and Alaskan wildflowers. Your neighbors include your coworkers, a bunch of squirrels, some resident moose and the occasional bear. Though we also provide internet, we invite you to disconnect from it all and truly rediscover what it means to live in the moment. All while working a full time gig dealing with the chillest customers you’ll ever meet and at the same time having some of Alaska’s best recreation opportunities in your own backyard! At the very least, you are sure to meet some interesting characters!

This opportunity truly is what you make it. The hours are an easy 6-8 hour workdays, 5 days a week. The rest of the time is yours to explore the lands and have some adventures in the wild. Want to take some time off to explore the rest of Alaska? Take a trip over to the notorious and historical party town Dawson City? No problem. We understand that this is your chance to explore Alaska and we want you to be able to do so! 

Be part of a family owned operation, run by motivated young people who have experience running an off grid business. In the short 5 years (including covid) we have managed to: completely renovate the employee area, build all new cabins and recreation, green house, shower facilities, and boardwalk, install a brand new solar system ourselves which now provides 90% of our electricity needs, develop inventory systems and remodel and expand the cafe! 

Here, you are not treated like a number but part of a community of people with similar interests. Come be a part of this truly unique experience!

We are looking for multi-skilled individuals who want to work in a dynamic forward thinking, millennial owned and operated business in the middle of nowhere, Alaska.

We pay $16 an hour + tips, offer free housing (which includes access to employee kitchen and shower facility), and one free employee meal a shift!

Check out our Instagram and Coolworks profile for more photos of the town.

Downtown Chicken consists of:  

• The Cafe sells  coffee / espresso, homemade baked goods such as cinnamon rolls, cookies, pies and brownies among other things. We also make burgers, chicken pot pie chowder, and sandwiches. (We are also fans of the oxford comma)

• The Saloon, where we serve craft beer, natural wines, and a selection of handcrafted cocktails made with Alaskan ingredients (we also host weekly community nights at the bar)

• The Chicken Liquor store, the only one within a hundred miles or so

• The Mercantile Emporium, a gift shop with unique gifts from all over, many designed by us.

• A Gas Station … not much to say about it, just a couple pumps to get unleaded gasoline or road use diesel 

Chicken is a small tourist/gold mining community 40 miles from the Canadian Border on a road that is maintained 6 months of the year.  No plowing in the winter!!  Mail comes by small plane two times a week, weather permitting.

Downtown Chicken is looking for 5 additional team members to come and work in our lovely town for the summer. 

Every team member will be trained and expected to work in all positions, cafe, bar and gift shop!

Cafe:

• Maintains excellent customer service and positive attitude towards customers, clients, co-workers, etc.

• Bake cookies, pies and other pastries according to standardized recipes

• Cook and prepare a variety of short order foods according to production guidelines and standardized recipes

• Prepare ingredients by measuring, weighing, mixing, chopping, trimming, and peeling food items

• Safely utilize a variety of utensils, including knives

• Operates equipment such as ovens, stoves, mixers, etc.

• Run cash register and credit card machines

• Make coffee with an espresso machine 

• Unload and stock foodstuff

• Sweep, mop, wash dishes, clean work surfaces

• Other duties and tasks as assigned by the manager

Bar:

• Maintains excellent customer service and positive attitude towards customers, clients, co-workers, etc.

• Mix house signature cocktails 

• Serve beer, wine and mixed drinks 

• Manage bar patrons and foster a positive drinking environment

• Sweep, mop, wash dishes, clean work surfaces

• Run cash register and credit card machines

• Unload and stock alcohol and merchandise

• Other duties and tasks as assigned by the manager

Gift Shop:

• Maintains excellent customer service and positive attitude towards customers, clients, co-workers, etc.

• Restock gift shop, and record inventory

• Run cash register and credit card machines

• Unload and stock merchandise

• Other duties and tasks as assigned by the manager

Qualifications:

• Experience in hospitality or retail is encouraged but not required 

• Must be able to obtain food safety certification — available online.

• If applying for bartender position must be able to obtain techniques of alcohol management certification — available online.

• Demonstrates basic math and counting skills (be able to count back money, etc.)

• Demonstrates interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal

• Requires occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling up to 50 lbs.

Do you feel up to the challenge of living off-grid in small individual housing? There are no flush toilets in Chicken, only outhouses!  There is a shower, though, and of course a washer and dryer.

Some cool leisure activities that are available in the community are hiking, kayaking the rivers, gold prospecting, getting in touch with one's “inner-self” and taking a break from technology. We have satellite internet, but it’s not the greatest. Definitely plan on catching up on reading or finding other ways to entertain yourself.

The start date is flexible.

Also, Check out the Youtube video linked! It features our business and a view of the area!