restaurant manager

housekeeper

technician

shuttle driver

mascot

Santa-Cruz-Beach-Boardwalk

If you are looking to gain some work experience, build on work ethic and cash for one summer I would highly recommend doing it here. The coworkers are fun and friendly in most cases and the boardwalk is honestly one of the most beautiful places you could spend the day (or night! especially night!) if you can deal with hot weather and packed crowds.

Fair warning, you are extremely likely to have conflicts in the schedule you specify so be prepared to have your schedule clear for the entirety of the summer, especially if you are 18+.



Unfortunately on the flip side, if you are looking at this company to build a long term career I am warning you now - don't. This part is for you.

I worked in a supervisory position for 5 years and spent 6 years with the company overall.

You will be expected to work every weekend and every holiday forever all year long UNLESS you are in a senior management position. Even if you request a date long in advance as expected, whether or not you will get the time off will be a consistent debate between you and your leaders.

If you need to call in sick, you will need to have good insurance because they will expect you to bring in proof that you were sick. Otherwise, you will need to fully commit to going to work sick and pray to whatever you believe that management takes mercy on you and sends you home. Or that you have a fever over 100, that way the EMT in first aid can force management to send you home.

That being said this company absolutely will not support employees during disasters and I'm not just talking about when they laid off 150 full-time employees (some of which had worked for the company over 30 years) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During the summer of 2019, there was a fire that had started very close to my home. I live in the redwood forest and the fire was within a mile of my home. The whole neighborhood was given the shelter in place order so we could stand by for evacuation. 

I could not come into work for the whole day. I brought in screenshots of the shelter in place order and pictures of the smoke plume that was looming over my house the next day I was scheduled to work but despite this, I received an infraction against my attendance "because there is no policy that specifically states emergencies excuse attendance."

Are you kidding me? Sadly no, the management team was not joking and I later received a write-up.

On top of this, there are serious issues when it comes to the management of this company, both on the upper and lower levels.

Starting at the bottom, there is favoritism coming from the supervisors. I consistently watched as my peers enforced policies inequally from one employee to another based on how well they got along with the individual or how much they could relate to them.

When this type of behavior is reported, let's just say the favoritism does not end there. The Manager and Assistant Managers of my department inconsistently dulled out disciplinary action amongst supervisors based on who they chose to get along with, or even in some rarer cases who they found attractive.

This lead to supervisors acting completely off-brand with the companies values knowing full well they could get away with it if it was reported to their superiors. This was a bit rarer but the fact that it was preventable still frustrates me.

I think the number one downfall of this company is the rampant favoritism. It will be the downfall of any good employee.

For example, I was placed in a position and set up for complete failure. I was put in charge of a specific area of the department and then never trained for any aspect of the job at all. Zero hours of training and I was thrown into the thick of things immediately right before the season began.

I was not given the time or materials needed to complete my job and I consistently communicated these issues with the Assistant Manager I was told to report to and nothing was done.

However, what was done, my duties were consistently given to other more favored supervisors who received training to get my job done.

I kept catching my boss making statements to others that were derogatory towards myself and I had even at one point found an email that had been written based off a conversation with her directed towards the Manager that was not reflective of what we had discussed at all and even suggested I was cutting corners.

The Manager himself confided in another of my peers I am assuming he did not realize I was close with that he felt he had set me up for failure and felt bad. Shortly afterward I had a very constructive conversation with the Assistant Manager I had been having issues with and I believed things were going to change.

This person left the company shortly after and I felt that all the progress that had been made towards improving everything for the better backtracked because it seemed like the tough conversation we had was just that, a tough conversation that was never reported to her peers or superiors. 

Shortly after I was removed from my position on the premise that I had failed to meet expectations that again, I had received no training for.

The executives of the company consistently treat line staff and supervisors like trash even going as far as to name drop a Manager or even an Assistant Manager to imply that they can get you in trouble if you don't make that broken arcade game work immediately or give away that prize you have no authority over at a reduced price.

The President of the company is kind but it feels like a mask every time he rolls his eyes at the director of HR during meetings when she suggests making improvements for line staff and low supervisory roles.

The Loss Prevention department is irresponsible and has accused many people of wrongdoing and even stealing. I was personally accused of wrongdoing and when I was able to prove I had done nothing wrong both loss prevention and the aforementioned Assistant Manager combed through the policy to write me up for something completely random. 

They pressured me into signing a write up just to prove a point after interrogating me for an hour and a half and leaving me to sit in silence with an officer for about 40 minutes. I was made to believe I was going to lose my job at that moment if I didn't sign.

Finally, I think its important to discuss what a job like this will do to your mental health. You are expected to choose your attitude, which is acceptable and a great way to just lead life. Just be happy.

But in the role of leadership, it's more than that. Happy happy, nothing is wrong here. 

To begin, you cannot under any circumstances discuss any situations that may be perceived as negative with your peers at all. When you have a guest service as a Supervisor they are often easy to resolve and sometimes even fun or funny, but when they are bad they are the worst.

Think mob of angry drunk people threatening you, think soda cups full of liquid being thrown, racist and sexist slurs, men threatening to do horrible things to women or even threats of being sued. Overall the number of these guest services is not that bad in comparison to the hundreds of people you meet a day but when it comes down to it these things can be downright traumatizing.

I cannot tell you how many times having my peers at my back saved me from breaking down and crying because I vented to them when Management was not around at night because they had gone home or unreachable for guidance in the middle of the day. 

I also cannot tell you how many times management thought they had heard a whisper of negativity and ended up reprimanding unfavored peers and myself for situations in which they went into an office, closed the door, and vented about whatever situation had happened. 

I was even reprimanded for things I didn't say but when I tried to defend myself or explain what had happened and why I was quickly shut down and spoken over by the manager who insisted that I did what I was being reprimanded for. This happened multiple times in my last few months with the company.

I forgot over the year of 2019 that I was a person, with valid thoughts, feelings, and a family. I was consistently encouraged not to go to HR by Management and to just speak to them instead.

As a supervisor in a specialist position, I consistently had issues with employees in lower positions or with less experience being paid more than myself. This is something that will happen consistently across all departments, just take a quick gander at other reviews and you will begin to see the favoritism. This degrades a person's sense of self-worth.

As a full-time employee who was expected to meet a certain amount of hours a week I was reduced to only working one to two days a week, while my peers were complaining that there were so many projects and so much work to do in the office they could barely sleep at night and favored part-time employees were scheduled with priority over myself for operational duties complained they didn't even want to be there. 

I chose to leave the company soon after as gracefully as possible. 

Before all of this, I guess you could have called me an amusement park nerd. I wanted a career in the industry more than anything. I wanted to be apart of what made the experience at this park amazing for both staff and guests. Now I don't even want to set foot in the park I grew up in and hold so dearly.

Fun if temporary.
Working at this hotel was a valuable and rewarding experience. The environment was fast-paced, especially during peak seasons, but it helped me develop strong time-management and multitasking skills. I worked closely with a supportive team that communicated well and helped each other during busy shifts. The role required attention to detail, professionalism, and patience when interacting with guests, which strengthened my customer service and problem-solving abilities. Management provided clear expectations and was generally approachable when questions or issues came up. I also gained experience handling guest concerns, coordinating with different departments, and maintaining high service standards. The job taught me how important teamwork and communication are in hospitality. Overall, this position helped me grow both professionally and personally, and it gave me practical skills that are transferable to many other work environments.

Working at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has been an amazing introduction to what it's like to be in the work force. As a Games Operator, I was responsible for maintaining a clean, fun, and effective workplace that gave guests the best experience possible. As a Games Lead, I was responsible for multiple locations and employees while managing and scheduling rest breaks. I also communicated with management about potential problems and their solutions. The culture was always centered around creating a unique guest experience while maintaining a professional work environment. The hardest part of the job was keeping a level head during the busiest parts of the day. The most enjoyable part of the job was interacting with the many different kinds of people who visited the Boardwalk.

A good, seasonal job for people just entering the workforce. Work at the beautiful and iconic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Management is largely hired from within and this contributes to a bit of a culture of favoritism in terms of advancement opportunities. It's impossible to get 40-hours per week. With high cost of living in area you may need a second job. However, managers are very understanding of scheduling issues and always tried to work around my schedule. Working outside right on the beach helping people have a fun time at an amusement park is pretty neat!

It can be a really fun place to work at sometimes depending on the department you work in but it can also start to get really stressful at times when it gets busy especially in ticket sales because you have to make sure you don't take too long with the guests and be quick enough to keep the lines going but still attend to the people and make sure you give correct change. It can also get really stressful when guests get upset for things that we don't control and sometimes gets out of hand where we have to call security. It's also not much pay especially for where we live but other then that it can be a fun place to work at and get to know knew people as you work.

Arrive at work, clock in and get assigned the work station or relief. Get the keys and pouches to the location(s) where you're working and get assigned breaks, if relief, else you go to your station. I learned and got my ServSafe achievement and certificate for food handling and the ability to serve alcohol. Co-workers were family and made work fun. The hardest part of the job was leaving the second family you create with your co-workers around you, and the other is dealing with the supervisors when they don't do their job and getting blamed for their mistakes. The most enjoyable part was having the beach next to you.

This workplace is very interesting at times. While I do say with full confidence that I enjoy the job for the most part, there are many lacking aspects. Its a lot of peoples first jobs, mainly being kids, ages 14-17. A lot of the managers and directors are younger people as well, or those with varying job experiences. I believe that in order to be improved, we have to put more effort into our employees and less effort into expansion. In all, I dont always feel appreciated, which makes me less motivated to do my best. 

I worked selling tickets, so once I had been trained and worked a few days, everything was very repetitive from there. Not a ton of upwards mobility but pretty good for a seasonal job/part-time job during school. Decently flexible hours if you ask in advance, but basically no asking off big/busy holidays. Its a relatively impersonal workplace, though they try to be peppy, but I didn't mind. When I worked there it was minimum wage, with sales incentives of Target gift cards for good sales numbers. Management was generally supportive.

Working as a ride operator at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is very exciting. Every day, I am there to ensure the safety and enjoyment of our guests and to maintain the smooth operation of the rides. My responsibilities include checking safety restraints, operating the ride controls, and providing clear instructions to guests. I also perform routine safety checks and inspections to ensure everything is in top condition. Interacting with visitors from all over the world is a highlight of the job. Customer service is a crucial part of my role, and I do my best to create a welcoming and fun atmosphere for everyone.  Whether it's a  nervous or an excited rider, my goal is to make each guest's experience memorable.


Let me start of by saying this was my first official job, I worked here for 6 years and even though the first 2 summers were okay, I would say these supervisors and mangers will destroy your soul! they will take advantage of you! they will never move you up unless you're their favorite and give you a bad rating for "complaining". 
They wouldn't give you a higher position, but yet expect you to act like a lead or supervisor which I will never understand! No wonder they're so understaff and always need people to hire.


Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Restaurant manager 10 salaries reported	$25.77 per hour
Housekeeper 6 salaries reported	$18.59 per hour
Technician 1 salary reported	$28.30 per hour
Shuttle driver 3 salaries reported	$18.31 per hour
Mascot 3 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour

Working at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Company Overview and Reviews

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Ratings

Popular jobs at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected