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?

"The pay structure/ tip out was typically solid making good money on most weekends." ((in 176 reviews)); "The pay is good and there's a program that pays for 20% of your college tuition." ((in 96 reviews)); "great food and people to work with were awesome" ((in 66 reviews)); "I loved my coworkers and the hours are great!" ((in 62 reviews)); "Great product and a culture I can be proud to represent." ((in 57 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 144 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 73 reviews)); "long hours (serving shift is open to close because it is breakfast/lunch only)" ((in 38 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 30 reviews)); "Also lots of favoritism" ((in 26 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

(1,898 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

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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

5.0

Nov 12, 2025

Best place to work ever!

Operations manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-Early mornings so I have more time to spend with my family. -Work life balance is great. - Opportunities to advance within the restaraunt.

Cons

- Health benefits aren’t the greatest. Other than that nothing negative.

First Watch Response

8mo

Thank you so much for the 5 stars! We are so happy to know that you appreciate the hours, work-life balance, and the ability to advance. Feedback like yours is important and helps us understand how we can best support employees! Thank you for taking the time to write this. Don't forget WE APPRECIATE YOU!

1.0

Jul 20, 2026

Great coworkers, but management creates a toxic environment

Server

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great coworkers and overall good customers.

Cons

This was the worst job I ever worked. Management was a mess, commonly yelled and berated you in front of your tables, never cut and constantly overstaffed, leading to low incomes.

First Watch Response

Thank you for taking the time to share this feedback. The College Station, TX restaurant is actually one of our franchised locations. It’s nice knowing you had great coworkers and customers; however, we’re discouraged to read that your experience with management wasn’t a positive one. We encourage you to share your concerns with your leadership team so that they can properly address them. Thanks again for sharing.

3.0

Jul 13, 2026

Good pay and growth opportunities, but poor management

Line cook

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay, opportunity for growth,

Cons

Terrible management, lots of turnaround,

First Watch Response

Thank you for sharing your feedback. While we're happy you enjoyed the pay and opportunity for growth, we're disappointed to hear your experience with management wasn’t a positive one. If you’d like to provide further feedback, please call our anonymous employee hotline at 844-484-8963. Thanks again for sharing.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 1,898 Reviews

Jobs at First Watch