Is First Watch a good company to work for?

First Watch has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 1,926 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 (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))

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 , College Station , Miami , Richmond , Fort Worth , Katy , Nashville , Overland Park

First Watch reviews

3.7

63% would recommend to a friend

(1,898 total reviews)

Chris Tomasso

69% approve of CEO

61% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Work/Life balance

3.5

Culture & values

3.4

Career opportunities

3.2

Senior management

3.2

Compensation and benefits

First Watch has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 1,898 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The First Watch employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for 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

2K reviews

2.0

May 5, 2026

Nice chefs, but micromanagement and no breaks

Dishwasher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Chefs were nice and gave me food

Cons

Micromanagement, did not get breaks

First Watch Response

1mo

We appreciate your feedback here. It's helpful to understand your concerns. 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.

1.0

May 5, 2026

Poor leadership and chaotic environment with no positives

Server

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

None for this company at all

Cons

Inconsistent management. Chaotic environments. Poor leadership.

First Watch Response

1mo

Thank you for the feedback. We work hard to be “You First” in all we do. We’d love for you to call our anonymous employee hotline at 844-484-8963 and share your story so we can better understand your concerns and properly address them. Thanks again for the feedback, and we hope to hear from you soon.

3.0

May 4, 2026

Growth opportunities overshadowed by long hours and micromanagement

General manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great place to grow if you’re willing to put in the work. I started as an Operations Manager and got promoted to General Manager, so there is definitely opportunity. I met a lot of good people along the way who pushed me and helped me develop. The team environment at the store level can be strong depending on who you work with.

Cons

Very long hours with little work-life balance. Scheduled early (around 6am) but most days you’re there until 4pm–5pm depending on staffing because of the close-to-open expectations. Upper management can be very micromanaging, even reaching out on days off. There were times we were expected to come in during severe weather/state emergencies, which didn’t feel like employee safety was a priority. Heavy focus on labor cuts — managers are expected to work the line, do prep, inventory, and everything else to save money. It can feel like the company cares more about numbers than people. The “You First” culture doesn’t always match reality. Also, at times it didn’t feel like diversity was truly valued, which can be discouraging.

First Watch Response

1mo

Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are disappointed to hear that your experience with management wasn’t positive. Every day, we strive to show appreciation for our teams and listen to their concerns. Would you mind providing us with more information by calling our anonymous employee hotline at 844-484-8963? Thanks again, and we hope to hear from you soon

Viewing 28 - 30 of 1,898 Reviews

Jobs at First Watch

Line Cook / Kitchen Team

First Watch

First Watch reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Nice chefs, but micromanagement and no breaks

Poor leadership and chaotic environment with no positives

Growth opportunities overshadowed by long hours and micromanagement

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