There’s no free lunch. But in Anchorage this week, there’s really free coffee.

People say the world runs on coffee. 

This week’s Alaska Federation of Natives convention and the First Alaskans Institute’s Elders & Youth conference certainly do. 

Just across the street from the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, where both conferences are held, Dark Horse Coffee Co. is the main supplier of caffeinated beverages for attendees, along with soup, sandwiches, and snacks. 

And for a special treat throughout the conference run, everything in Dark Horse is free.

The precise identity of the sponsor of the free coffee and food remains a mystery, though the decision was motivated by getting people out to vote.

A political action committee contacted Karin Johnson, the shop’s owner, and “from what I gather, they just didn’t want to spend money on a commercial,” Johnson told the Press on Wednesday.

“Instead, they said, 'Hey, there’s this deal we can do with you.’ I couldn’t see a downside,” Johnson said. “It’s been really fun. There are people I see every year who come to Anchorage for AFN that I do trades of coffee for salmon with, and stuff like that. And to have an elder I’ve known for years come in and be able to say, ‘Your soup is on the house!’ — it’s been amazing.”

The cost-less coffee and food runs through the last day of the AFN convention, until Dark Horse’s closure at 3 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s been packed all day long,” Johnson said. “At one point, the line was weaving through the dining room.”

Her daughter, Jessica Johnson, a familiar face behind the counter to anyone attending the conference and frequenting Dark Horse, says the message has been consistent: “We’ve been doing a lot of telling people: ‘Go vote! Go to City Hall! You can vote right here! You don’t need to worry about finding a ride to Midtown or wherever!’” 

She added: “We’re saying it to over 300 people a day. I hope that, even just from our little bubble, we’re helping to get the word out.”