First Watch — Restaurant in Meridian

Dear First Watch Team, I want to begin by saying how much I love First Watch. I travel often and always make a point to stop at a First Watch in whatever city I'm in. I have been proudly working for First Watch for over six years and currently hold a Black Apron at my store. My fiancé is also an Operations Manager and has been with the company for about eight years. We are both incredibly passionate about First Watch and the culture it represents. With that said, I am writing to share what was, unfortunately, the worst First Watch experience I have ever had. I was especially excited to finally visit the new Boise, Idaho location--my hometown--and had been anticipating it for quite some time. Sadly, the manager on duty was extremely rude, which was both disappointing as a customer and embarrassing as a colleague. While paying, I mentioned that both my fiancé and I work for First Watch, as we are normally extended a 50% discount according to the handbook. The manager immediately dismissed me and said, "We don't do that at this store." When I clarified that I am a Black Apron and my fiancé is a manager, he laughed in our faces and responded, "So? And I'm the manager here." His demeanor was unnecessarily rude and disrespectful. He then explained that this location is a franchise and not part of the corporation, and therefore does not honor the discount. While I understand that franchisees may operate differently, what I cannot understand or accept is the way this situation was handled. His behavior was not only unprofessional but also deeply embarrassing to the First Watch name. On top of that, the 5 Steps of Service were not executed during our visit. For example, our server poured a mug of hot coffee directly on the table--over my sleeping baby in her car seat--which was careless and unsafe. Service details like these are not only important for consistency but also for guest safety and comfort, and they were not upheld. I have always been one of First Watch's biggest advocates--I proudly promote our brand everywhere I go. I have been so excited for Boise to finally get a First Watch and have shared that excitement with my friends and family. Unfortunately, after this experience, I no longer feel comfortable promoting the Boise location. Even as a franchise, the First Watch name should stand for the same culture, values, and hospitality that make this company so special. I left feeling disrespected, disappointed, and disheartened that this was my very first experience at the Boise First Watch. Thank you for taking the time to read my feedback. I truly hope this is addressed, not only for my own experience but to ensure that future guests in Boise see the same First Watch values I...

Came to First Watch for brunch today. I did wait a couple weeks after opening to come. I know it's the new joint in town so everyone wants to try it out also. I was hoping that it would be moderately busy so that it wasn't a crazy wait. Walking in, I was instantly greeted by a hostess. It was "busy" but there were quite a few empty tables. The hostess said it'd be about a 5 minute wait. I hung out in the front. It's dope that they have a big pot of coffee with all sorts of sugars and creamers available. I chilled for a minute before another hostess got me sat.

Devin, our server, took care of us today. I was still sipping on my coffee when he asked if I wanted something else to drink. I did notice a mint mocha on their website but decided to wait for my friend so we can get them together. After my other half arrived, we got our drinks and food ordered.

The mint mocha looked delicious while Devin was putting on the table. It was garnished with a bright green mint leaf. The mocha was topped off with some cold foam and chocolate chips. I like that you can taste the mint in the drink. The mint wasn't overwhelming like you're drinking a piece of mint gum. The coffee, chocolate and mint was all balanced.

For brunch I got the traditional breakfast. You can't go wrong with the classics. My plate was hearty with potatoes, 2 chunky sausage links, eggs and a piece of toast. The toast was overly buttered and I appreciate that! My eggs were cooked over medium which was perfectly jammy to dip my toast in. I asked for my sausage to be over cooked and they were. They serve warm sryup in a cute little dispenser. Dipping the sausage in that warm syrup was so good! My potatoes were seasoned nicely but they still had a bite to them. To me, they tasted kinda raw still in the middle. The little pieces were cooked and tender but the bigger pieces needed a little more cooking time. I did grab a side of gravy for my potatoes. I like that the gravy had sausage in it but it wasn't overwhelming. And the gravy wasn't crazy thick. It was a great breakfast.

I love how they turned this old Denny's into this bright, beautiful venue. I love the country home style decor and setting. The windows give the place a beautiful brightness to it. Devin did a great job handling our table today. The food was almost there for me. It would have been a home run but the potatoes missed that mark. Potatoes shouldn't be a big deal but being from Idaho, it kinda is! Happy i got to try it out! I'm looking forward to coming back and trying other items...

Stopped by on a Sunday and was seated in under 30 mins for a table of 2, even though they were pretty busy. Ordered the Kale Tonic, buttery grits, Pesto Chicken Power bowl, Power breakfast Quinoa Bowl and an order of lemon ricotta pancakes.

Everything was fairly quick and delicious. The main down side to our experience was the service after we were seated. Our server, Doneisha, was no where to be found after dropping our drinks off. The next time we saw her was about 5 mins after receiving our food, she came by to drop off our bill. She didn’t say anything when she did so, which left for a rather awkward interaction. Normally you’re told that there is no rush but that to pay whenever you’re ready. Tried to be understanding since it was pretty busy so I paid by scanning the QR code and continued to eat my food. However, Doneisha stopped by after 5 mins or so with another receipt. Before I could stop her to ask what it was for, she had walked away again. It was at that point I realized that I paid for someone else’s meal. The kicker was that I couldn’t find our server again to explain what happened, I ended up having to ask an entirely different server to please have a manger stop by or ask Doneisha to come by my table. Doneisha stopped by before the manager but when she did and I began to explain what happened, she just grabbed both receipts from my hand and walked away again with saying anything….really? Not the best way to handle a situation that she had caused.. I understand they were busy but had she been more attentive to her tables then perhaps the mixup wouldn’t have happened. After she left with the receipts, the actual manager stopped by right after. We noticed Doneisha had completely walked past the manager so I’m not really sure what she was trying to accomplish without at least asking her manager? I didn’t catch her name but the manager was kind and understanding. She took the time to listen to what happened and after I finished explaining is when Doneisha came to our table again. All she did was give the manager the receipts and walk away. Honestly pretty rude but I’d have rather she not mess anything else up. The manager apologized and because the bill I paid for turned out to be $12 less than my actual bill, she covered the remainder. Not my intention, just wanted to pay and leave but I did appreciate...