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

(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

3.0

Aug 30, 2025

Good place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fun, decent money, nice people

Cons

Can be a lot of side work

First Watch Response

10mo

Thank you for taking the time to leave this review. It’s great to know you appreciated the good pay, co-workers and fun atmosphere. This feedback will help the management team work to improve the experience of each employee. Thanks for taking the time to submit your review.

4.0

Aug 19, 2025

Good place to work

Server

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

No nights, kind customers, decent money for the hours put in. Great GM at this location.

Cons

Managers set the bar. If you are not lucky and you get an unprofessional manger it can be miserable.

First Watch Response

11mo

Thanks for taking the time to submit your review. We love that you enjoy the daytime only hours and the leadership at your restaurant! 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!

1.0

Aug 14, 2025

Great People, Terrible Management

Line cook

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Co workers -Day Shift -Competitive pay

Cons

- micromanaging - toxic work environment - no care for safety - no talking unless it’s about work - no breaks or smoke breaks - unrealistic expectations - customer first - servers put on a pedestal/ cooks treated poorly - no accountability for management - unprofessional management - invasive - poor communication by management - empty promises

First Watch Response

11mo

Thank you for taking the time to share this review. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed the hours and your coworkers. We pride ourselves on our “You First” culture and are disappointed to hear your experience wasn’t a positive one. 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?

Viewing 40 - 42 of 451 Reviews

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