Is First Watch a good company to work for as a Server/Waiter?

Server/Waiter professionals working at First Watch have rated their employer with 3.5 out of 5 stars in 292 Glassdoor reviews. This is a lower than average score with the overall rating of First Watch employees being 3.7 out of 5 stars. Search open Server/Waiter Jobs at First Watch now and start preparing for your job interview by browsing frequently asked Server/Waiter interview questions at First Watch .

Does First Watch pay Server/Waiter employees well?

Server/Waiter professionals rate their compensation and benefits at First Watch with 2.9 out of 5 stars based on 292 anonymously submitted employee reviews. This is 9.8% worse than the company average rating for salary and benefits. Find out more about Server/Waiter salaries at First Watch.

How happy are Server/Waiter professionals working at First Watch?

52% of Server/Waiter employees at First Watch would recommend their employer to a friend. This rating has decreased by 23% in the past 12 months. Server/Waiter professionals have also rated First Watch with a 3.4 rating for work-life-balance, 3.5 rating for diversity and inclusion, 3.1 rating for culture and values and 2.9 rating for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at First Watch?

Server (632) , 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 92 reviews)); "great food and people to work with were awesome" ((in 64 reviews)); "I loved my coworkers and the hours are great!" ((in 59 reviews)); "Great product and a culture I can be proud to represent." ((in 53 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 141 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 40 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 28 reviews)); "Lots of cliques and Favoritism." ((in 25 reviews))

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First Watch

First Watch Server/Waiter reviews

3.5

52% would recommend to a friend

(292 total reviews)

Chris Tomasso

49% approve of CEO

54% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.5

Diversity & inclusion

3.4

Work/Life balance

3.1

Culture & values

2.9

Compensation and benefits

2.9

Career opportunities

2.7

Senior management

Server/Waiter employees have rated First Watch with 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 292 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Server/Waiter professionals have a good working experience there. First Watch is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Server/Waiter professionals compared to other employers within the Restaurants & Food Service industry (3.4 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

292 reviews

2.0

Jul 8, 2026

Good coworkers, but management instability and chaos in kitchen

Server/waiter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Some good co workers there.

Cons

Management changes a lot. Kitchen is chaotic.

First Watch Response

Thanks for your hard work at the Christiansburg, VA, restaurant. This is actually one of our franchised locations. It’s a bit upsetting to read your feedback, and we encourage you to follow up with the leadership team with your concerns. Your feedback will help them improve the experience of the employees and customers. Thank you again.

5.0

Jul 4, 2026

Flexible scheduling but overly corporate culture

Server/waiter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible scheduling, well oiled structure, you keep your tips

Cons

A bit too corporate, and they do silly things like don't serve water unless a table asks for it

First Watch Response

Thanks for taking the time to write this review! We appreciate hearing about your experience and are glad to learn that you enjoy working at First Watch. We’re proud to offer daytime-only hours to allow afternoons and evenings for family and friends. Your feedback will help us improve the experience of our employees. We appreciate you!

4.0

Jun 19, 2026

Good hours and work-life balance, but corporate culture prevails

Server/waiter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Hours Work life balance Paid daily as server

Cons

Pay card is temperamental on where you use it Very corporate

First Watch Response

Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback! We agree that you just can’t go wrong with our daytime-only hours that allow you to have your nights free. We’d love for you to call our anonymous employee hotline at 844-484-8963 with additional feedback. This feedback will help the management team work to improve the experience of each employee. Thanks for taking the time to submit your review.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 292 Reviews

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First Watch Server/Waiter reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Good coworkers, but management instability and chaos in kitchen

Flexible scheduling but overly corporate culture

Good hours and work-life balance, but corporate culture prevails

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