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

Dec 30, 2025

Grand Prairie, TX (busy location)

Server

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Server sales per 7 hour shift are around 1100-1350. (I only work weekends). I averaged 26.17/hr (this includes working host shift once every other weekend). Managers don’t micromanage, but they do have conversations with employees to address major concerns. On holidays, special occasions, and just to be nice the manager will buy snacks and pizza for the staff (mostly on Sundays). Almost every section has easy sidework.

Cons

They don’t really want you to trade or pick up shifts during holiday seasons or expected busy times. Hosting kills the average hourly. Managers don’t hold servers to high expectations , like running side work, so there are normally only a few servers that are doing everything to keep the BOH clean and stocked.

First Watch Response

6mo

Thank you for taking the time to share this feedback. We are happy to hear you enjoy your work environment and find it rewarding. We appreciate all of your hard work. We would not be where we are without people like you! Thanks again for your feedback – it helps us improve the experience of our employees.

4.0

Dec 4, 2025

Not Bad, Very Particular About Service

Server

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Payed everyday on a pay card, very clean, quick turnaround for tables

Cons

Not great pay, Strict about the way you do your service

First Watch Response

7mo

Thank you for taking the time to share this feedback. This is actually one of our franchised locations. It’s great to know you enjoyed your experience at First Watch. Your detailed feedback will help the leadership team work to improve the experience of each employee. Thanks again for the review!

4.0

Nov 23, 2025

Good hours

Asistant manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Hours are good if you like mornings

Cons

Pay not great for the amount of work

First Watch Response

7mo

Thank you for taking the time to leave this review! We know waking up early can be tough, but the daytime-only hours allow you to enjoy the afternoons and evenings with family and friends. Thanks again for your review, we appreciate you!

Viewing 25 - 27 of 452 Reviews

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