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?

"The pay structure/ tip out was typically solid making good money on most weekends." ((in 175 reviews)); "The pay is good and there's a program that pays for 20% of your college tuition." ((in 89 reviews)); "great food and people to work with were awesome" ((in 67 reviews)); "Great product and a culture I can be proud to represent." ((in 59 reviews)); "I loved my coworkers and the hours are great!" ((in 57 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 71 reviews)); "long hours (serving shift is open to close because it is breakfast/lunch only)" ((in 38 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)); "Also lots of 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

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First Watch

First Watch reviews

3.7

63% would recommend to a friend

(451 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

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

451 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

Return to all reviews

5.0

Nov 18, 2021

Healthy Work Environment

Server/waiter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

No night shifts ever, honest, people first company

Cons

Salary isn’t consistent, slow days

First Watch Response

Thank you for your fabulous review! We are thrilled that you enjoy the daytime only hours and our “You First” culture. Thanks again for the five stars and for being apart of our First Watch family.

3.0

Oct 26, 2021

Good food Penny Pinching Owners

Server

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

You make a lot of money and get off by 2:30 ! Mostly regulars, good food.

Cons

Waste so much paper. Ticket system is awful, kitchen not having hearing lamps 4/10 Management doesn’t care about employees making money money about if tables are taken care of so they would rather dramatically over staff

First Watch Response

Thank you for taking the time to submit this review. We are always looking for ways to improve the employee experience, so we appreciate your feedback. Thank you for your hard work and for being apart of the First Watch family.

5.0

Oct 18, 2021

First Watch is my first choice!

Server

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

This company just makes sense to me. They are clean, organized and allow me to make great money. Plus their food is delicious and can be both indulging and healthy. I really love this job!

Cons

When my alarm goes off at 4:45am, but then I’m out early enough in the day to still enjoy it!

First Watch Response

Thank you so much for the five-star review! We are thrilled to be your first choice for employment and that you enjoy our food (trust me - we do too). We wouldn’t be where we are today without the wonderful people like you throughout our organization. We love you more than bacon!

Viewing 301 - 303 of 451 Reviews

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