Is First Watch a good company to work for?

First Watch has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 1,925 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 3% over the last 12 months. 63% of employees would recommend working at First Watch to a friend and 61% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about First Watch have been left by employees working as Director of Operations , Black Apron and Cafe Manager .

Does First Watch pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, First Watch employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.2 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at First Watch. This rating has decreased by 6% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at First Watch?

63% of First Watch employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated First Watch 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.5 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at First Watch?

Server (631) , Server/Waiter (294) , Operations Manager (124) , General Manager (70) , Line Cook (65) , Busser/Runner (46) , Server/Waitress (36) , Manager (34) , Director of Operations (30) , Dishwasher (27) , Cook (26) , Waitress (21) , Food Server (18) , Black Apron (16) , Busser (15)

What are the pros of working at First Watch according to real employee reviews?

"Money is Good and consistent." ((in 182 reviews)); "The pay is good and there's a program that pays for 20% of your college tuition." ((in 96 reviews)); "great food and people to work with were awesome" ((in 64 reviews)); "I loved my coworkers and the hours are great!" ((in 56 reviews)); "Great product and a culture I can be proud to represent." ((in 56 reviews))

What are the cons of working at First Watch according to real employee reviews?

"poor management and had managers try to make job difficult" ((in 139 reviews)); "Managers have a lot of responsibility and spend most of their time in the kitchen rather than being up front dealing with customers." ((in 74 reviews)); "long hours (serving shift is open to close because it is breakfast/lunch only)" ((in 39 reviews)); "Upper management is so completely out of touch it's almost as if they have never worked in a restaurant (spoiler: most of them haven't)" ((in 26 reviews)); "Also lots of favoritism" ((in 24 reviews))

What are the top reviewed First Watch locations?

Tampa , Orlando , Sarasota , Jacksonville , Raleigh , Louisville , Columbus , Houston , Cincinnati , Kansas City , Phoenix , Charlotte , Dallas , San Antonio , Atlanta , Saint Louis , Austin , Knoxville , Bradenton , Lexington-Fayette , Scottsdale , Naples , Tucson , Miami , Richmond , College Station , Fort Worth , Katy , Nashville , Overland Park

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First Watch reviews

Toxic Leadership - General Manager First Watch Employee Review

1.0

Nov 8, 2025

General manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

It used to be a great place to work. I felt cared for, valued & always worked hard. I woke up every morning happy to serve the community and build my team. Sadly, there are no more pros.

Cons

Upper management harasses you. When using chain of commands, they trick you into thinking you can go to RVPs with issues but some of them end up firing good workers to protect bad DOs. Everyone takes harassment courses every 6 months, i'm not sure how people past the restaurant level are able to treat management the way they do. Very disappointed in how the company ended up turning out. Salaries are also VERY low and quality of life is LOW when you're being harassed and asked to do WAY more than your job description. No coaching is ever given either, just negative feedback. For the culture that is talked so highly about, some leaders do NOT have compassion or empathy for anyone.

First Watch Response

8mo

Thank you for taking the time to share this review. We’re firm believers that when you know better, you do better…so we really appreciate your feedback. We're so disappointed to learn about your experience as we strive to be “You First” in all that we do. Quality of life is important to us, and you should always feel comfortable discussing your concerns with your leaders and with our team in HR. We'd love to better understand your concerns so that we can thoroughly and properly address them and encourage you to call our anonymous employee hotline at 844-484-8963. Thanks again for your insights, and we hope to hear from you soon.

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5.0

Jul 5, 2026

Marketing manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great Place with Great People

Cons

None really. Everyone was nice to work with and respectable

First Watch Response

Thanks for your 5-Star review. We’re so happy you chose First Watch as your employer and enjoy the environment and people you work with! Thanks again for the review – we appreciate you.

3.0

Jun 5, 2026

Server/hostess

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The store is only open until 2:30 so you’re guaranteed your nights off. The menu is fairly easy to learn and the seasonal menu doesn’t change that often.

Cons

Could be my stores location, but we are constantly fighting for hours and tables. There’s not enough income for all here. And when it’s brought up to management they say it’s our “slow season” but turn around and hired three more servers. Also the meanest clientele that I have ever worked with. Very demanding with little patience, and either bad tips ($2-$4) or no tips at all. Especially on large parties. I have spoke to many employees who have worked 3+ years for the company and many of them want to leave. Too often those that don’t do their work are rewarded and it’s put on the shoulders of those that do.

First Watch Response

1mo

We appreciate your feedback here. While we're glad you enjoy the daytime-only hours, it's helpful to understand your concerns too. If you wouldn't mind calling our anonymous employee hotline at 844-484-8963, we'd love to follow up and better understand and address your concerns where possible. Any feedback helps us, and we're grateful for yours.

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Toxic Leadership - General Manager First Watch Employee Review

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