Is First Watch a good company to work for as a Server/Waiter?

Server/Waiter professionals working at First Watch have rated their employer with 3.5 out of 5 stars in 292 Glassdoor reviews. This is a lower than average score with the overall rating of First Watch employees being 3.7 out of 5 stars. Search open Server/Waiter Jobs at First Watch now and start preparing for your job interview by browsing frequently asked Server/Waiter interview questions at First Watch .

Does First Watch pay Server/Waiter employees well?

Server/Waiter professionals rate their compensation and benefits at First Watch with 2.9 out of 5 stars based on 292 anonymously submitted employee reviews. This is 9.8% worse than the company average rating for salary and benefits. Find out more about Server/Waiter salaries at First Watch.

How happy are Server/Waiter professionals working at First Watch?

52% of Server/Waiter employees at First Watch would recommend their employer to a friend. This rating has decreased by 23% in the past 12 months. Server/Waiter professionals have also rated First Watch with a 3.4 rating for work-life-balance, 3.5 rating for diversity and inclusion, 3.1 rating for culture and values and 2.9 rating 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))

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First Watch

First Watch Server/Waiter reviews

3.5

52% would recommend to a friend

(292 total reviews)

Chris Tomasso

49% approve of CEO

54% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.5

Diversity & inclusion

3.4

Work/Life balance

3.1

Culture & values

2.9

Compensation and benefits

2.9

Career opportunities

2.7

Senior management

Server/Waiter employees have rated First Watch with 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 292 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Server/Waiter professionals have a good working experience there. First Watch is rated in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) by Server/Waiter professionals compared to other 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

292 reviews

1.0

Mar 29, 2026

Toxic environment with long hours and no breaks

Server/waiter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Literally nothing besides leaving with tips every day

Cons

Toxic, long hours, cannot even go to the bathroom unsupervised

First Watch Response

3mo

Thank you for taking the time to share this review. We’re firm believers that when you know better, you do better…so we really appreciate your feedback. We're so disappointed to learn about your experience as we strive to be “You First” in all that we do. We'd love to better understand your concerns so that we can thoroughly and properly address them and encourage you to call our anonymous employee hotline at 844-484-896. We hope to hear from you soon.

3.0

Jan 22, 2026

Ok place

Server/waiter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Easy going, good benifits, daily pay

Cons

Too many servers, if you make a hundred a day in the week you are lucky and maybe 150 on weekends

First Watch Response

5mo

Thank you for submitting this review. We love that you enjoyed the environment, benefits, and pay. 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

Jan 14, 2026

Server

Server/waiter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

good daily pay short hours half off meal

Cons

burnout fluctuating pay in slow seasons workplace enviroment

First Watch Response

6mo

Thanks for taking the time to write this review. We’re proud to offer daytime-only hours to allow afternoons and evenings for school, as well as good pay and meals. We’d love for you to call our anonymous employee hotline at 844-484-8963 to share your workplace environment concerns in more detail so we can better address them. We appreciate you.

Viewing 7 - 9 of 292 Reviews

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Toxic environment with long hours and no breaks

Ok place

Server

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