Chicken Shack — Restaurant in Alaska

My family went to the Chicken Shack for the first time on Saturday, February 16, 2019 at around 11:30 AM Brunch. Upon walking into the restaurant, we were apathetically greeted by a man who was wearing a long, dirty apron. He looked like he worked in the kitchen. He asked us if we wanted to sit at a booth or a table. We asked for a booth and he begrudgingly went over to one and cleaned if off. The restaurant wasn't busy at all. There were only 2 occupied tables at the time, none of the tables should have been dirty. After we finally sat down, the same man walked over and, without a word, dropped off a couple of menus. He ended up being our server even though he looked like he had been working in the kitchen.

After we had time to look at our menus for a few minutes, he came back over and took our order. The food came out about 20 minutes later. My husband, daughter, and myself all ordered the chicken and waffles. We also ordered 2 sides of breakfast potatoes. The portions were comically small. Each order of chicken and waffles came with 1 thin waffle and 1 chicken strip, which was perfect for my daughter (she's 7) but not for 2 adults. The potatoes also came out in very small portions.

The food tasted pretty good. The chicken was hot and crispy but the breading immediately fell off. This should not happen with chicken strips. The waffles were okay. My husband didn't really like his but my daughter devoured hers. You can definitely tell that they are homemade. The potatoes were the star of the meal. They were sliced thin and fried to perfection. The only problem was that they were gone after about 4 bites. The same was true for the chicken. 1 chicken strip is just not enough. My husband ended up ordering more chicken because he was still hungry.

All-in-all, it was not the worst food experience I've had. This place has the potential to be pretty great. The service needs a lot of improvement. No one should wonder if the person greeting them at the door is a server or works in the kitchen. The portion sizes also need to be revised. I'm not expecting a huge, gut-busting meal. But I shouldn't be leaving hungry either. Honestly, we probably won't be going back. It just wasn't worth the...

Update: Changed review to 5 Stars.

Came back the very next day for a second try. This time around I got some waffles and chicken fried steak. The fried steak was considerably smaller than what other restaurants might serve you, but that's not a bad thing. It was still delicious and the country gravy was amazing. The waffles were very tasty too and can pretty much compliment everything savory on the menu. Service was definitely more attentive and I had no complaints on the end. Overall a great experience and will be returning.

Note: As I type this, I have some brunch dishes being delivered via doordash. Another update will be coming later.

TL;DR Great food, clean facilities, slightly slow service

Was with a party of three and we all ordered the special. The shack burger was a "100% grass fed patty," lettuce, onions, cheese, a cucumber slice, bacon, and a chicken tender covered in Korean gochujang (a red chili sauce that is sweet, spicy, and savory) sauce. Hands amazing and should be moved to the main menu. As a side, I have friend cheese curds. Those we're good, but I was still distracted by the amazing flavors from the burger.

The facility has both booths and table seating. Everything was aesthetically pleasing and modern my interior design standards. The bathrooms are shared among other tenants in the building, but they were still clean and stocked.

The only complaint I had was the slowish service. What I presume was the owner, was the only person waiting on and seating customers. Each table had a glass bottle of water that everyone could fill their cups with, but it was hard to wave the man down to get a new one. I would recommend asking for two bottles if you drink...

I ordered the smoked chicken sandwich, 14.00 and change. It was so dry "Dehydrated" came to mind with a subtle fishy aftertaste and a leathery texture. I would have notified the server and ordered something different, but the server never returned. In fact, when I was finished, I ultimately walked to the register to pay because the server was I later found out behind and catching up because she was the only one on duty. Anyway...I ate it, but the meat was so dry that I had to deconstruct the sandwich and cut the chicken meat into tiny less than bite size pieces to chew and swallow. So dry, I was glad I had my water jug available so I drink water to help the meat go down, I drank the water in the glass the server initially provided. The only other meat dryer I can compare it to is jerky. If the chicken is smoked locally, I wonder if the smoking facility also does fish? Brioche bun uneventful. Inner-tubed size onion ring, surprisingly fresh cool tomatoe slices, room temperature iceberg lettuce, and transparent slice of room temperature pickle. The side salad is standard issue bagged mixed greens, also at room temp. I'm not sure I'll be back. I don't have a spare 14.00 and change to return and sample a different item and I'm not sure I would take a chance on a second smoked chicken sandwich. I'm a frequent traveler, so usually dine one time...