Food Service - Kitchen Manager

Join our Culinary team at the Great Plains Zoo!

We are seeking a dynamic and results driven leader to oversee operations at our Quick Service Cafe, and satellite locations located on campus.

This candidate will require strong leadership skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to drive operational excellence, while fostering a positive work environment.


Operation hours of the campus is 8am-5pm, 7 days a week, with occasional evening events.

Open availability is required, including weekends.


Position Title: Kitchen Manager

Reports to: Food Service Operations Manager(s) and Executive Chef

Who are we :

For more than 50 years, SSA has partnered with cultural attractions to design the hospitality experience journey, freeing our partners to remain mission-focused.

We bring together admissions, culinary, and retail with innovation and human connection to shape a seamless guest journey.

Our focus is on people, innovation, and operational intelligence as a means to create special moments with lasting impact. We call it 452 Hospitality, the foundation of how we serve our partners and their communities.

Responsibilities

• Live out 452 Hospitality by delivering warm, welcoming, and memorable experiences for every guest and client.
• Ensure restaurant is adequately prepped and staffed (BOH) for daily operation.
• Oversees location kitchen duties, ensuring quickservice, food service, safety and quality, availability, merchandising, and guest service standards are all met and exceeded.
• Oversight of safety logs, including food temperatures, rotation, and waste.
• Ensures proper uniform, hygiene, handwashing, and glove use with staff.
• Responsible for supporting SSAfety training with knife handling skills, ensuring all direct reports display proper use of knife and slicers.
• Creates daily prep and items lists, delegating to employees as necessary.
• Actively helps to support operations and fill holes as necessary to ensure smooth service.
• Maintains a checklist of routine or daily cleaning tasks and ongoing projects or menu planning.
• Assigns associates to duties, coaching through projects daily tasks and guest interaction.
• Actively and efficiently responds to guest and client feedback, with report to the operations manager to ensure that any potential complaints are mitigate against further occurrence.
• Oversees personnel duties, including but not limited to:

• Training new employees and issuing performance reviews.
• Actively managing and issuing progressive documentation to coach and counsel the employee on performance with oversight from operations manager.
• Reports employee attendance and any hour discrepancies to the payroll department. Oversees break and rest break management for BOH employees.
• Inspects equipment and performs routine maintenance and cleaning as necessary.
• Assists team to ensure all tasks are completed in a timely manner through helping complete daily tasks as necessary.

• Communicates up to the Regional Executive Chef and Food Service Operations Manager in regard to any issues seen with daily service or quality.
• Works directly with restaurant supervisor(s) to ensure respective locations are operating to standard.
• Remains knowledgeable of and supervises in accordance with all applicable local, state and federal laws.
• Perform other tasks as deemed necessary.
• Maintain a clean, safe and organized work environment.
• Uphold and demonstrate a complete understanding of company policies and procedures.

Job Requirements

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to articulate to our General Manager and personnel.
• Proven leadership skills with an understanding of the importance of team building/development, while fostering partnerships with other branch managers.
• Exceptional problem solving/decision making skills combined with the ability to be organized.
• Demonstrates multi-tasking, detail, analytical, planning and leadership skills.
• Demonstrates the ability to remain flexible in a fast-paced environment.
• Ideal candidate is a team player, personable, professional, upbeat and energetic, takes initiative, uses tact and diplomacy.
• Computer knowledge and skill level for basic office functions.
• Physical ability to stand for extended periods and to move and handle boxes (10-35lbs) as necessary to operation, which entails lifting, and perform all functions as set forth above.
• Ability to work varied hours/days, including nights, weekends and holidays, as needed.

IDEA + Belonging

• Promote an inclusive & supportive approach within the Brand team, with networking continuing at all units.
• Focuses on removing barriers and empowering growth and opportunity for team members at all levels.
• Leads by example through Sustainability/Conservation efforts; displays knowledge of efforts in business application as well as giving adequate opportunity for teaching to unit staff as necessary.
• Engages with SSA/Unit in driving community effort through engagement activities and focus. On opportunities of giving back.

Previous Experience

• Three years supervisory experience.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with this job description. SSA Group reserves the right to revise the job description or to require that other or different tasks are performed when circumstances change (i.e. emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs or technological developments)


Compensation and Benefits

• Full-Time, non-exempt, eligible for overtime pay.
• Paid Time Off plan: up to 144 hours based on tenure.
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and other voluntary benefits for you and your family; employee premiums applicable.

• Participation in a 401(k) program with a 15% company match (must be 21 years or older, eligible after one year of employment with 1,000 hours worked, available to enroll during Open Enrollment Periods).
• SSA Paid Benefit: Up to 120 hours of Paid Leave for qualifying reasons, including Parental Leave and your or your family's serious medical conditions.
• Up to 40 hours Paid Bereavement.
• On-Demand Pay Program: Get access to a portion of earned wages before payday.
• Meal Plan & Employee Discounts where applicable
• Tuition Discount through Partnership College
• Holiday pay of 1.5x the regular rate is provided for hours worked on Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day
• Paid sick leave is provided in accordance with applicable state and local laws. Accrual rates, caps, and usage rules vary by location.

Locations include: Arizona, California, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C.. Colorado : Employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked , up to 48 hours per year , under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA). Maryland: Employees accrue at least 1 hour of paid sick and safe leave for every 30 hours worked , up to 40 hours per year , as required under the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act. Washington : Employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked , in accordance with the Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Time.


SSA Holdings and its affiliated companies, including SSA Group, A&F Souvenir, Cinchio Solutions, and Behavioral Essentials, are equal opportunity employers. We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. A diverse team strengthens our collective impact.

All California Residents: By submitting your job application, you agree you have reviewed the SSA Group California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Candidate and Employee Privacy Notice ("Notice").


San Francisco Residents: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Please see the "Fair Chance Ordinance - Know Your Rights" document for more information. By submitting your job application, you agree you have reviewed the "Fair Chance Ordinance - Know Your Rights" document.


We accept applications for this position on a rolling basis. Apply anytime at thessagroup.com. Applications are reviewed as received, and the position remains open until filled.

Join our Culinary team at the Great Plains Zoo!

We are seeking a dynamic and results driven leader to oversee operations at our Quick Service Cafe, and satellite locations located on campus.

This candidate will require strong leadership skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to drive operational excellence, while fostering a positive work environment.


Operation hours of the campus is 8am-5pm, 7 days a week, with occasional evening events.

Open availability is required, including weekends.