First Watch — Restaurant in Austin

Earlier this week I was in Austin with my nephew and we were visiting my brother there. My nephew and I went to the 14005 North US 183 Highway location on a Monday morning. There was a decent crowd there - maybe half full. We both ordered The Traditional and I ordered a banana, granola and almond pancake to go with The Traditional. Everything was fabulous! I will say that I had asked that my home fries be well done but they were not (this happens all the time at breakfast places and I would love to know why) but I can't hold this oversight against them since all the other items were SO deeeeee-licious. The multigrain toast was incredible and I will admit that I was a little bummed because they only serve that type and white toast so I wasn't able to get rye or pumpernickel or something similar but the multigrain was great - a thicker cut bread that was so good toasted. The pancakes are as big as the plate and mine was again, soooooo good! The service was excellent - we had at least four different waitstaff bring us our food, fill up our coffee cups, ask if everything was OK, etc. Oh, and they bring you warm REAL maple syrup, not the crappy stuff that's made with corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup. Overall a totally enjoyable breakfast. And the next day my brother and I were heading out to breakfast and he wasn't sure where we should go so I recommended this location of First Watch to him and I was surprised that he had never tried them before (he lives maybe 2-3 miles away). I had The Traditional again and got extra multigrain toast and my brother got The Traditional as well plus two pancakes, even though I warned him that they were bigger than a car battery (and for the record, he couldn't finish them). I asked for my home fries to be well done and this time they were so I was super thrilled! I seriously think the pancakes there are the best I've ever had. I flew back to Boston very early on Wednesday and if I hadn't I absolutely guarantee that I woulda had breakfast at this First Watch location! Great food, super friendly + attentive staff, relaxing atmosphere and spotlessly clean bathrooms make this a go-to breakfast location that I highly recommend. I'm already planning another trip to visit my brother there and may just eat at First Watch every morning...

Oh, my heavens! What a poorly-managed mess!!

My husband took me for a big breakfast on a Monday (10/9/17), and when we arrived, we were behind two other sets of customers. All of us were being told the wait would be 15-20 minutes. That would be fine if the place was packed, but it was only half full!

The problem? Dirty tables. Eleven of them! None of us could be seated in empty seats because none of the staff would clean the tables! Or so it seemed.

My husband pointed out how ludicrous that was to the hostess who wouldn't override 'rules' with common sense, and we were seated at one of the CLEAN tables within five minutes. There were other clean tables, too, so I don't know why the other folks weren't seated. They had left, not wanting to wait. (Read that as LOST BUSINESS.)

So, we ate. The food was good. The coffee was good. But most of the tables remained dirty! The whole time! Only one waitress cleaned any tables! I overheard another waitress tell a waiter, maybe a manager, that it wasn't "her job" to clean tables. Okay, ding-a-ling! But customers...you know the ones you are getting paid and tipped to serve?...they can't sit, eat, and pay if you don't have clean tables!!

You might as well shoot yourselves in the foot, First Watch! You can't run a restaurant by only...

I don't normally order pancakes at a restaurant since I can make really great pancakes at home. However, when I saw lemon ricotta pancakes on the menu, I had to try them. No regrets; the ricotta added a great richness and tang to the cakes and the lemon had just the right zip. I debated whether to add syrup, but it did add to the dish. BTW, the syrup comes warm in a dispenser like an olive oil bottle. I was told that they were known for the "million dollar bacon" and this was great too. Good, smoky flavor, a bit of heat (but not too much), and a honey drizzle all combined to make a really great flavor. The good part of the service was that they put a carafe of coffee on the table before we even asked. On the other hand, it took a few requests and 20 minutes to get water. Creamers for the coffee? We're out of the non-flavored ones, but I'll get you some fresh from the kitchen. Flagged down someone else a reminder and 15 minutes later, and somehow they had creamers. The last we saw her was when she said I have your bill when you're done. Was it because we were there on a Sunday morning? Was this a new person? We'll be back for the food, and hope for better service. The noise level was a bit much, but that might be the Sunday morning effect. Do try it; overall, a...