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

(452 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

452 reviews

Reviews about "Compensation"

Return to all reviews

4.0

Sep 18, 2025

Manager

Operational manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great Hours Good Pay Great people

Cons

Labor % is hard to reach High on Culture, Low on building upkeep

First Watch Response

10mo

Thank you for submitting this review. We love that you enjoy working daytime-only hours, and a “You First” culture. We make every effort to show appreciation for our teams and listen to their concerns. Your feedback will help us improve the experience of our employees. We appreciate you!

4.0

Sep 9, 2025

6 Years

Operations manager/black apron/server

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Work life balance, great money, growth opportunities.

Cons

Waking up early, seasonal, a little bit of a pain to secure PTO.

First Watch Response

10mo

Thank you for submitting this review! We love that you enjoyed the work-life balance, and the growth oppportunites. We make every effort to show appreciation for our teams and listen to their concerns. Your feedback will help us improve the experience of our employees. We appreciate you!

4.0

Sep 1, 2025

Good culture

Cook

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Morning hours. work day ends early

Cons

Pay rate is too low.

First Watch Response

10mo

Thanks so much for the review! The daytime-only hours allow you to enjoy the afternoons and evenings with family and friends. We appreciate your feedback as it helps us improve the experience of our employees. Thanks again for your review and for being part of the First Watch family.

Viewing 37 - 39 of 452 Reviews

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