First Watch reviews

3.7

63% would recommend to a friend

(1,898 total reviews)
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Chris Tomasso

69% approve of CEO

61% positive business outlook

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).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews
2.0
Jun 20, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Hours of operation; co-workers; regulars

Cons

Toxic work culture; Elusive benefits; Dishonesty about “perks”; No food, water or bathroom breaks during shift; Employees working off the clock; Incompetent managers; Manager inappropriate with female employees (and HR knows); Managers don’t take any accountability; High turnover; Outlandish expectations; Four table sections; “Support shifts” means you don’t receive tips for 4-6 hours

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First Watch Response
1y
Thanks for the feedback. We pride ourselves on our “You First” culture and are so disappointed to hear about your experience. It sounds like we really dropped the ball somewhere. Would you mind reaching out to us by calling our anonymous employee hotline at 844-484-8963 with more information? We appreciate you taking the time to share. When we know better, we can do better.
1.0
Sep 29, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The money, hours, not much else.

Cons

Where do I start? Management is the worst I've ever dealt with and I've worked at many restaurants. They have absolutely no respect for their employees at the Clarksville, IN location. You could dedicate three years of your life at this place and they'll fire you over the most minor thing at the drop of a hat. They care more about restaurant sales than their employees, which is rich considering the main moto of the company is, "You first." It is absolutely not their employees first. It is whatever suits the managers' fancy that day. They need to go through a massive change. They do not train their managers to be kind, responsive, or empathetic which is what I value most in someone in a position of power. They give no respect to their employees but expect the utmost respect for themselves. I will be quitting very soon due to everything mentioned above. If you happen to find a First Watch that has actual human beings for management, you may enjoy your time here. If not, they will find every opportunity to make you miserable.

3.0
Sep 24, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The food and history are great.

Cons

First Watch is becoming completely overwhelmed by its rapid growth. The leadership is crushing operators and corporate staff trying to support the while maintaining the culture and something has going to give soon.

Viewing 13 - 15 of 1,898 Reviews

Glassdoor has 1,926 First Watch reviews submitted anonymously by First Watch employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if First Watch is right for you.