First Watch — Restaurant in Jacksonville Beach

Stumbled across this place on Google maps and after a solid 10 minutes of lusting after all the amazing photos from other reviews we jumped in the car and headed in for breakfast. The experience was so disappointing. Waitstaff was cold and disinterested. It felt like we were an inconvenience from the moment we walked in. We weren’t greeted or acknowledged for an uncomfortable amount of time after entering, basically until the entryway was slam full and blocking door ways.

We ordered eggs Benedict. I hate sending food back to a kitchen, I strongly prefer to cope with whatever mistake was made on my own (like someone forgetting to omit bell peppers or mayonnaise) and get on with my life but my poached eggs were almost completely raw, they couldn’t stay on the bread, they had slipped out from under the hollandaise sauce and glared up at me like a big wad of hocked up mucus. Poaching eggs is a science, I get it, if I could do it myself, I’d never go to a restaurant and order them. I also hate criticizing anyone’s job, especially in a line of work I haven’t done myself. I feel so guilty having to send something back to a kitchen that I apologize profusely as if I were the one to have made the mistake. And our waitress let me do exactly this, she did not apologize to me in any fashion, she let me bare the shame all on my own. This was after letting us sit almost 10 minutes without approaching the table, after bringing us a dirty/sticky stainless steel coffee pot with coffee so lukewarm sugar wouldn’t dissolve in it, after failing to ever return with a straw and after neglecting to give us water. I couldn’t help but wonder if something about us offended her.

When the dish returned the eggs were cooked all the way through, yellows solid, this just cemented my fears that both she and the kitchen staff thought I was just a picky a**hole and instead of giving me a properly poached egg, they’d show me for sending back a raw one. And they were perfectly capable of properly poaching an egg because both of the eggs on my partner’s plate were perfect. Even so, I tipped well, over 20% because I think the industry compensates so unfairly to begin with that maybe that’s what put her in a grouchy and unfriendly state anyway and I have the good fortune of doing a job that permits me to go to work in a bad mood from time to time without my wages being garnished as a result, I can’t even fathom what it would be like to get shorted every time I snapped at or failed to smile at a client but damn, this was a terrible dining experience.

The food photographs beautifully but that is really the only props I can give that place. Don’t be fooled by all the glamorous photos, spare yourself the...

First, we love First Watch restaurants across FL. My wife & I stopped in for breakfast this past Sunday. We were seated immediately. We waited approx. 10 minutes before anyone stopped to ask about beverages. Our drinks were brought shortly thereafter. We ordered then, as we had already determined our breakfast selections. Then a rush of new customers flooded the place, but it was Sunday morning after 10am. We waited, watched people & waited some more. Some 35 minutes later, a bowl of oatmeal & eggs, waffle & bacon appeared. Our waitress was polite, but rushed. Unfortunately, my eggs, waffle & bacon were nearly cold. The oatmeal was barely warm. We ate our breakfast, as we were hungry. It appeared FW was 3-4 wait staff short & not sure how well staffed the kitchen was. This was quite disappointing, as we had not experienced this previously at any other location. This was our first visit to the Jax Beach site. I shared my experience briefly, when I paid our bill at the register. I didn't have the heart to tell our waitress how we felt. We left the customary 20% tip anyway. We would like to give them another chance, as anyone can have an off day. I hope they examine the issues & make some rapid...

I’m from Los Angeles so take this with a grain of salt, things are just wildly different out there. This is very much a long the lines of Dennys quality food. Though the wording on the menu makes it seem more elevated than a basic cheap dinner, the actual food quality and flavors are very basic.. I felt like I was eating cafeteria style food with a flair.. their “new” coffee drinks taste like there is alcohol in it due to the cheap flavoring they put into it. Also the “new” Watermelon juice drink is very one note and sour. Nothing was really standing out even the menu looked good. I had the sandwich combo, roast beef sandwich with the avocado chicken salad, sounded yummy, looked less appetizing, and tasted like I picked it up from the nearest convenience store… I’ve been an Executive Chef the past 13years and have no expectations when walking into a new place. Another words I’m easy to please, and this experience was a flop.. On another note, the waitress was wiping down the inside caps of all ketchup bottles, salt, pepper, and so fourth with the same towel they wipe down tables with… definitely...