First Watch — Restaurant in Weddington

EDIT: THE ONLY REASON I GAVE THEM 1 STAR IS BECAUSE 0 ISNT OFFERED!! We decided to give First Watch another chance and we WALKED OUT THE DOOR after a 40 minute wait. When we got there we checked in and was told it was a 20 minute wait if everyone in the app showed up. After 40 mins we checked in and the young man said there were 4 more ahead of us. Evidently they continously seat the app people and ignore the people physically there. We were there to check it out for a family breakfast. So glad we are not bringing out of town guests here. ANOTHER BROKEN EGG IS AMAZING AND SEATS THEIR GUESTS. In fact we LEFT first watch and are DRIVING TO ANOTHER BROKEN EGG RIGHT NOW! That was the third time we tried y'all and you have lost our business and all of our friends business FOREVER! SEE YA!

Well, where to start? We went to the Providence Farms location on Saturday April 20th. We had a short wait but a delightful waitress. My blueberry pancake was delicious and the bacon was great! My husband had the Trifecta and it was average. The 1 sausage link was good. The fried eggs were cooked to order, over easy. The waffle was hot but average. Nothing hard to cook on his plate. Sunday, Easter morning we returned and this is where the problems started... We used their app to check in. We couldn't tell a difference in the wait. People were being seated that came in after us but the app told us it was our turn for 15-20 mins. Once we were seated, our waitress took our order, brought coffee and water and left. Someone else delivered our food. My husband ordered the Salmon Eggs Benedict and what a mistake that was. The brand of smoked salmon is very fishy. I know salmon is very fishy anyway but this was over the top. The eggs were hard boiled not poached. The yoke wasn't moist it was straight up a hard boiled egg. The hollandaise sauce is obviously a mix and not a good one at that. Sad thing, we had them remake it and the eggs were soft boiled this time! Not pleased at all! I had the same thing as yesterday, blueberry pancake with bacon. The bacon was cooked to order. The pancake, unfortunately, was cool. Put it this way...my butter didn't melt on it. Such a disappointment. We never saw our waitress again. Oh! She showed up to bring the check. We had to have someone else help with the food issues. Bottom line, if you want to wait one hour and 45 mins, spend $40 for 2 people and have average food, this is the place for you. Me? I'm going...

I decided to try First Watch for breakfast this morning, and let’s just say; I wish I hadn’t.

Upon arrival, I checked in with the hostess and was told the wait would be 30 minutes. No problem, I get that breakfast spots can be busy. After 30 minutes, I checked back in, only to be told (rather dismissively) that it would be “more time” because there were still three groups ahead of me. Again, I tried to be patient, so I went back to my car.

Nearly 50 minutes after initially checking in, I finally got a text saying our table was ready. As I walked back inside, literally standing at the hostess stand, I received another text saying I had been removed from the waitlist for not arriving quickly enough. Excuse me?! I was right there! When I asked the hostess about it, I was met with the kind of attitude that makes you question why some people work in customer service at all. No apology, no attempt to fix the situation; just a condescending explanation that we didn’t come inside fast enough.

Now, here’s where First Watch really drops the ball: their text-based waitlist system doesn’t give you the option to confirm you’re on your way. Most places with a similar system allow you to respond with a simple “Y” to hold your spot. Not here. Instead, they just assume you’ve abandoned your breakfast dreams and give your table away. A fantastic system; if the goal is to alienate paying customers.

As for the meal? The waiter was fine, but nothing special. The food itself was passable, though the bitter taste of the hostess’s attitude kind of ruined it. And the drink prices? Outrageous. Four dollars for a cup of warm water and a tea bag. That wasn’t on the menu, of course; because why be upfront about absurd pricing?

Overall, First Watch isn’t worth the hassle. If you’re looking for a place that respects your time (and your wallet), I’d suggest going literally...

UPDATE: I received a call and email from the General Manager, who was incredibly apologetic, took full ownership of the mistakes, and committed to working with his team to improve. He also offered some food credit and genuinely encouraged me to give them another shot. Things can go wrong sometimes, but I have to give credit where it’s due. Thank you for the accountability and for handling this so thoughtfully.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: My experience with this restaurant was profoundly disappointing, especially on Mother's Day. Despite pre-ordering the night before for a morning delivery on the store's own website, receiving multiple confirmations (including one the morning of), and seeing a delivery driver was supposedly waiting at the store for 90 minutes, my order never arrived as promised.

After calling multiple times and speaking with Johnny (Manager), I was assured the food, though late, was still coming. An hour past the expected delivery, with hungry mothers and infants waiting, I drove to the store. Johnny apologized, claimed someone else must have taken my order, and promised to remake it fresh while I waited. Ten minutes later, he handed me a bag with another apology.

Imagine my frustration upon returning home to find not a single item I had ordered. It appears Johnny simply gave me a random bag of food to get me to leave. While I understand Mother's Day is busy, the restaurant controls its communication and accountability. This wasn't just a failure of their online ordering system (which failed twice in my case), but a shocking lack of integrity and customer care from management. To be treated this way, especially on Mother's Day, was...