food service associate

caterer

cook

retail sales associate

cashier

SSA Group, LLC

I was absolutely delighted to work for a company that is involved with the community connections in cultural attractions: theme parks, zoos & and aquariums. Especially for families making memories that last a lifetime it a honor to contribute in any capacity. 
The position has consistently shifting priorities and in ever-changing fast-paced environment with very little time to focus without constant interruptions. 
Although thoroughly enjoyed the people who were the best part of the job. It was an uphill battle every day just to survive to go to work without reasonable accommodations provided.
There is no "typical" work day as each day is very different, so any form of consistency is to be desired. It was a very stressful, demanding deadlines, and pressurized workplace without proper support with extreme elements that go beyond any scope of work duties imagined.
The position has already been filled by several times in a relatively short amount of time, with many factors working against new hires from the start, which is not a formula for success. 
For example, fundamental business functions are non-existent, and total lack of team cooperation, which is essential to get the work accomplished.
The work can be insurmountable at times and daunting tasks to complete, so some may be easily intimidated and offended by lack standards set forth. It's common for a highly aggressive approach to be taken on already overly burdened new hires working uphill to combat old resentments in the workplace. 
There are unsettling circumstances with job abandonment with walk outs, confrontational physical altercations, and filed grievances which all reflect poorly on mismanagement practices on a company level but blame is shifted to the employee with limited power & authority instead. 
The work is unnecessary micromanage to the point of stifling productivity, which interferes with daily workflow being very counterproductive. Many inflated egos within the company who pride themselves on bullying mentalities vs. mentorship and true leadership qualities. Also, it's encouraged to engage in continuous petty schemes that are a waste of money, energy, and company resources in the modern workplace.  

I was absolutely delighted to work for a company that is involved with the community connections in cultural attractions: theme parks, zoos & and aquariums. Especially for families making memories that last a lifetime its true honor to contribute in any capacity. 
The position had consistently shifting priorities and in an ever-changing fast-paced environment with very little time to focus without constant interruptions. 
Although thoroughly enjoyed the people who were the best part of the job. It was an uphill battle every day from the start to go to work with so many variables & hurdles to overcome.
There is no "typical" work day as each day is very different, so any form of consistency is to be desired. It was a very stressful, demanding, and pressurized workplace without proper support with extreme elements that go beyond any scope of workplace duties imagined.
The position has already been filled several times in a relatively short amount of time, with no formula for success. 
For example, fundamental business functions are non-existent, no reasonable accommodations to get work done, and total lack of team cooperation, which is essential to get the work accomplished.
The work can be insurmountable at times and daunting tasks to complete, so some may be easily intimidated and offended by lack of standards. It's common for a highly aggressive approach to be taken on an already overly burdened new hires working uphill to combat old resentments in the workplace. 
Job vacancies are due by previous job walk offs with job abandonment, had confrontational physical altercations, and filed grievances. All reflect poorly on mismanagement practices as company but blame the employees with limited power & authority instead. 
The work is unnecessary micromanage to the point of stifling productivity, which interferes with daily workflow being very counterproductive. Many inflated egos within the company who pride themselves on bullying mentalities vs. mentorship or true leadership qualities. Its encouraged to engage in continuous petty schemes that are a waste of money, energy, and company resources in the modern workplace.

A typical day at work:
Every day was different depending on the location. Some days ran smoothly, but other days felt unorganized because roles and expectations weren’t clearly defined. During seasonal events like Zoo Lights, days were extremely long — starting around 8 a.m. and often running until 10 or 11 p.m. (and even later on inventory nights, sometimes until midnight before coming back the next morning).

What I learned:
I learned how to adapt quickly, work in multiple environments, and handle a variety of operational challenges. I also gained experience managing people and guest-facing operations under high-pressure, long-hour conditions.

Management:
Management was inconsistent. At some locations leadership was strong and supportive, but at others it felt like upper management neglected staff and offered little guidance or training.

Workplace culture:
The culture could be very dramatic at times. There was little structure or training, which often created confusion. That said, there were opportunities to grow, relocate to different locations, and advance your career if you were proactive.

The hardest part of the job:
Working extremely long days during special events without clear direction or adequate staffing was exhausting. The lack of consistent training also made some days more stressful.

The most enjoyable part of the job:
The flexible time-off policy, the chance to relocate to different sites around the country, and the opportunities for promotion and career growth were the highlights for me.


I worked 2 separate times with SSA at the zoo, the first time was back in 2019 to the beginning of 2020. Our upper management team was personable, involved and helped team members grow in their positions. Regardless of having a manager or not. Most of the workers got along and ended up working extremely well together to communication and work as a team to accomplish the list of tasks within a reasonable time frame. Constructive criticism was also given to help individuals grow including myself which was done professionally and in a timely manner. 
But when coming back, the rehiring process ended up taking almost a month past when my availability was given, and the upper management had changed. Our GM was now not involved for the most part and moved away from our department, scheduling became a big issue as well later on, to the point that I was being put on the schedule when I was at my other job (the hours and days stayed consistent). Knowing what was going on, on a daily basis became a rarity and created a lot of confusion then too, we would not always have layouts, list of supplies or completed to do lists on several occasions. When bringing concerns to the manager directly resulted in an email telling me that I was "being unfair" and "negative talk like that would bring down morale" but then said to inform her if there were any issues that needed to be brought to her attention. 
At the end of the day it ended up being to disorganized and not a healthy environment to stay in for making less than a livable wage. 
The zoo is a really interesting place and the events can be extremely fun to see but be prepared for a lot of excuses on not having information giving in a timely manner, important information being forgotten frequently and a lot of blaming other departments for a simple mistake.

 If you’re considering working with The SSA group, I’d strongly advise you to reconsider. This company epitomizes poor management, and it’s not just a minor issue—it’s a fundamental problem that pervades every aspect of their operations. The lack of effective leadership and coherent strategy here is nothing short of astonishing. 
If being clueless was an art form, this group would be masters. 

This group has a remarkable talent for ignoring feedback, making decisions without any semblance of logic, and creating confusion among staff. 

Communication is another area where SSA excels at being terrible. They have an uncanny ability to be both inaccessible and unhelpful, making it nearly impossible for team members to get the support they need. Management style is a mix of indifference and micromanagement, resulting in a toxic work environment where employees are either ignored or overly scrutinized without any clear direction. 

In summary, working with SSA, particularly in the south, it is a thoroughly unpleasant experience. If you value clear leadership, effective communication, and strategic direction, you’ll find none of that here. The management is not just bad—it’s exasperatingly clueless and frustrating to work with.

Massive company, great place to advance a career if you’re willing to dedicate 80% of your life to work. Hourly jobs are part time seasonal and hours can and will fluctuate drastically in inclement weather, (especially the winter when nobody wants to walks outdoor attractions). In the winter key employees and management are favored for hours. Benefits are eligible after a year of full time hours worked in this part time schedule. Enrollment time can make this two years if you are hired at an awkward time in the year. Few employees stay past a year. those that do tend to burnout before 5years . Weak training, those that learn on their feet and don’t need extensive teaching thrive. Within months employees may have to train new hires when management is too short staffed to handle everyone. Can feel like babysitting at times as most employees at any given time are first job teens. Raises tend to come in .50¢ increments. Promotions are promised but held until spring when the weather is nice to retain employees through the harsh winter. Experienced new hires are favored over long term loyal  employees for jobs. 

A typical day at work involves problem solving that definitely keeps me on my toes. I walked into this job having little experience in a kitchen environment and every day brought up new challenges that over the year I've been slowly learning how to resolve with the help of coworkers and definitely management. My chefs are both easy to approach when and if I have any questions or concerns and do their utmost best to explain in the way easiest to each one of the staffs' learning styles. With their help and the culture of my workplace I have the pleasure of learning many techniques that will be extremely useful to me in the future and I feel confident when answering the questions of my fellow employees as well. The most difficult aspect of the job would definitely have to be the amount of physical demand that it requires- which ends up being especially worth the effort when guests come back and either compliment the food or service they receive. The most rewarding part of this job is definitely the interactions with the guests. COSI has the pleasure of having repeat guests due to their membership program and there are many that I see often enough that we interact as though we are old friends- memorizing names, regular orders, and minor life details of individual guests and COSI employees.

SSA isn’t a good company to work for as their expectation isn’t the greatest. We tell customers that we’re bagless so be more eco-friendly yet have to throw away stuffed animals because there is a small tear in it. Bring a sales associate means having no rights to do anything. We’re not allowed to jump on registers if it’s super busy or we’ll be yelled at, if we don’t know anything or make a mistake, we’ll be yelled at. 
The company (and management) keeps changing policies and it’s making customers even more angry at us associates trying to do our jobs. So we get yelled at by everyone on both ends.
I wouldn’t recommend working at the zoo under SSA unless you want to stand long hours with only a 30 minute break and half the time you’re waiting for food, no employee parking so you’re stuck parking far away from the doors with the customers, not being paid enough nor getting enough hours, or wanting to make customers angry due to policies, or have very strict point policies and will get pointed for every little thing. Also, their “free” lunches will take $4 out of your paycheck every time you eat at the restaurants. 
I’ve only worked here for 3 months and I want to leave since I’m so tired and drained.

They will take any opportunity they can to make promises to you and not follow through. If you are a push-over, expect to never make more than minimum wage. They will even tell you you've gotten a raise, and not tell you when it will go through. So you have to check your pay stub and remind them to follow through. Otherwise you probably won't get the raise. They won't back-pay you for the time they didn't follow though with the raise either. I've seen this happen to almost every employee. When you become assertive enough to try to get what you deserve, they start scheduling you less, and eventually try to drop you off entirely. (By the way they don't fire people. They either force them to not come in anymore or stop scheduling them) The only appeal is the fact you can work at the zoo. They will take advantage of any passion you have for your environment so that you will be complacent when it comes to how they manage things.
The zoo really is a lovely place to work overall, but get a job with the zoological society, not SSA.

Retail >>> Food

Slow season: May leave early if traffic is dead. sometimes may not work for days on end because it is THAT slow. Very boring. Have seen food stands either not open or stay open until close. 

Busy season: wayyy better than slow season for retail. Not able to take 15min breaks because people are nonstop. In food, have seen one of the people wave down a random employee to radio a lead so they can take a bathroom break.

Management: not the best. some are good, but the rest are indifferent. 

Workplace: do really well if you are buddy-buddy with upper mgmt and don't get in trouble. unfortunately, hard work doesnt always get you up the ladder

Hardest part: when mgmt gets wishy-washy on you while you trying to enforce their rules on bad employees. they dont always back you up.

enjoyable: some of the customers are cool and come from allover. meet other awesome coworkers and leads.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Food service associate 4 salaries reported	$17.75 per hour
Caterer 3 salaries reported	$16.43 per hour
Cook 4 salaries reported	$16.63 per hour
Retail sales associate 2 salaries reported	$10.31 per hour
Cashier 6 salaries reported	$15.92 per hour

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