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?

59% of First Watch employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated First Watch 3.6 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 (627) , Server/Waiter (291) , Operations Manager (124) , General Manager (70) , Line Cook (64) , Busser/Runner (45) , Manager (34) , Server/Waitress (34) , Director of Operations (30) , Dishwasher (27) , Cook (26) , Waitress (21) , Food Server (18) , Black Apron (15) , 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 181 reviews)); "The pay is good and there's a program that pays for 20% of your college tuition." ((in 86 reviews)); "great food and people to work with were awesome" ((in 72 reviews)); "I loved my coworkers and the hours are great!" ((in 58 reviews)); "Great product and a culture I can be proud to represent." ((in 58 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 136 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 79 reviews)); "long hours (serving shift is open to close because it is breakfast/lunch only)" ((in 35 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)); "Lots of cliques and Favoritism." ((in 22 reviews))

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First Watch

First Watch Reviews

3.6

59% would recommend to a friend

(1,882 total reviews)

Chris Tomasso

68% approve of CEO

59% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.8

Diversity and inclusion

3.6

Work/Life balance

3.5

Culture and values

3.4

Career opportunities

3.2

Senior management

3.2

Compensation and benefits

First Watch has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 1,882 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 and food service industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

5.0

1 Jun 2026

Great management and hours, but low pay potential

Server/waiter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Great management, hours are great as they close at 2:30

Cons

Sometimes low pay. Its a breakfast/brunch place so people dont run uptbs that constitue high tips. Can expect around $175 a day in average

5.0

13 May 2026

Great food and fast pay, but requires quick balancing

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

great food, great place to make fast money and you are paid everyday

Cons

you have to seat yourself during the week so you have to be able to balance your tables and flip them quickly while making sure your seating yourself

First Watch Response

Thank you for the 5-Star review! We love hearing how much you enjoyed working at First Watch. This feedback will help the management team work to improve the experience of each employee. Thank you for your awesome review and for being part of the First Watch team.

5.0

19 Mar 2026

Number 1 Breakfast Place

Server

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

No night shifts ever is a giant plus

Cons

You have to be a morning person to work there

First Watch Response

2mo

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this 5-star review! We are so happy to hear that you enjoy the daytime hours. Yeah, we know waking up early can be tough, but having your nights free makes it worth it! We appreciate your feedback as it helps us improve the experience of our employees. Thanks again for sharing your review, and never forget that we love YOU more than bacon!

Viewing 1 - 3 of 1,882 Reviews

Jobs at First Watch