First Watch — Restaurant in Clearwater

This location used to be great, and we have been loyal customers for many years. Which is why it's shocking to have to write such a negative review.

After years of going to that location, I am simply deeply disappointed about the decline in both customer service and quality of food being served.

There were several mess ups and mistakes over the years but they're becoming more of the norm than a rare exception. Most recently, I placed an online order for an item that I have ordered multiple times before. There were modifications that I requested that are necessary for medical reasons. The modifications were not fulfilled.

I tried calling the store but no one answered so I drove all the way back. After waiting several minutes to be attended to, I explained what happened then requested a refund. I was, however, told that because the order was placed online they were not able to process a refund. I was told to instead call corporate office but then waited another 5 minutes for someone to find what that number was. I was then told that corporate office only opened Monday to Friday which meant that, it being the weekend, I had to WAIT to call them.

Everything about this situation screams incompetence and a lack of care towards customer concerns. They messed up my order and couldn't just fix it. Idiotic!!! And just outright horrible service.

I now have to wait another day to call corporate to hopefully receive a refund. Will update when that happens.

Update 1: After waiting until the following Monday to call the corporate office I was presented with a recording saying that someone will get back with me within 48 hours.

This is by far the most inefficient customer service process I've ever experienced. For a business with multiple franchise options customer refunds should not be this complicated.

Update 2: After writing this lovely review my refund was processed. Yay. But whomever responded to my review (see below) asked me to email them, which I did. No response to my email. No surprise there at all! Like their customer overall, I guess the message below was...

Went here with my wife and a recently widowed friend. We meet at a Tuesday Bible study and sometimes have lunch afterward. This time we were in the mood for Brunch, mostly. We were seated right away, brought menus and waters & coffee. We browsed the menu, but I already knew what I wanted. They make wonderful Eggs Benedict

My wife ordered the Baja Turkey Burger, our friend ordered Multigrain Blueberry Pancakes, and I ordered my Classic Eggs Benedict. We chatted for a short bit and our dishes came. The pancakes were delicious. My Benedict was wonderful, as always. My wife's Burger was excellent but huge, so half went home with her.

Even though it was busy at this time, about noon, it was quiet and easy to have a conversation. Service was great, food was delicious and the atmosphere was terrific. Always a great experience.

2023 Went here for lunch with a retired military friend whose wife recently passed. Got a booth off to the side where we could talk.

Katy was attentive and helpful. We both ordered the Trifecta, two eggs, two bacon and pancake or waffle. He chose pancake and I chose waffle. Started with black coffee for me and ice cold water for both.

It was right about noon so the place was busy so we had time to talk for a bit. After awhile our meals came, hot and delicious. My over easy eggs were perfect and bacon was very crisp and yummy. I opted for the regular bacon rather than the Million Dollar bacon since I only brought $20 with me! 😉

Our meals were great and the conversation was pretty nice also. I can’t believe we talked about our lives and military history for two hours! Katy came by occasionally to check on us but no bothered us. A great experience. So stop by...

Healthy, fresh, tasty, and clean. First Watch's menu has a nice variety of good for you foods. They are priced a bit higher than other breakfast/ lunch spots, but you know what you are putting into your body is to better you body. Lots of whole grains, fresh juices, organic non-gmo, vitamin packed foods.

The wait staff has been consistently friendly, cheerful, positive, and helpful. The entire restaurant has a good vibe. I've eaten at a few different locations and they are consistently good.

I will admit the first time I went I thought I was underdressed because there are a lot of people who show their wealth, but then I noticed the diverse mixture of patrons. Across the room were construction workers sitting next to businessmen sitting next to families sitting next to young adults sitting next to an elderly couple.

So go to enjoy the food and good vibes. I really enjoy their concept of healthy goodness. And if you are a Sam's Club (Clearwater Gulf to Bay store) member you can purchase $50 gift cards (2 $25) for $40!! Extra yummy when your paying less.

06/08/18 update The biscuits and gravy are not southern style, meaning they use Turkey sausage with a sage/possibly rosemary spice gravy. It tastes like Turkey stuffing, not what I expected and not something I'll have again. Just letting you know in case you're wanting southern style.

Rest...