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

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First Watch

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

5.0

Apr 23, 2018

Operations Manager

Operations manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Quality of life. I open in the mornings and leave in the early afternoon. I am able to be home with my family every evening and attend activities. That is important to me. We have competitive pay too. It really feels like family here. We all work together as a team assisting one another.

Cons

Sure, sometimes bad things happen. Just as it could in any company. However, we are quick to resolve any issue that arises.

2.0

Mar 14, 2018

First Watch

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Food discounts are one of the major pros.

Cons

This is a popular restaurant, meaning a typical work day can be busy, but even more so on a weekend. Can be stressful at times, of course, just like any other job. As it pertains to management, there seem to be double standards when it comes to this restaurant. From the inconsistent scheduling to allowing other workers to do virtually nothing perfectly describes this place. A great worker will get no hours and a lazy worker will get many hours. Makes absolutely no sense. People at this place are supposed to be scheduled based on performance, as they say, not based on the fact that you like that person more. The pettiness of managers needs to stop.

First Watch Response

Thank you for your advice. We strive to do and be better every day. With your notes, we are able to take a look in the mirror and make adjustments.

1.0

Jul 1, 2017

Server

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

AM shift... I guess. Good food. 50% discount on off days for 2 ppl and scheduled days (if you are lucky to get the chance to eat QUICKLY but most days you don't.)

Cons

No real breaks. Overly excessive micromanagement to the 10th power. Low check averages=Low tips which is somewhat balanced out by the fact that you get a lot of table turns. The money is Okay, which is not spectacular or worth it considering you are aflame from the magnifying glass you are followed around by 24/7

Viewing 31 - 33 of 1,898 Reviews

Jobs at First Watch