First Watch — Restaurant in Winter Garden

I've eaten at this specific First Watch location a handful of times, as well as a few others in the general Orlando area over the years.

Food, overall - exceptional!! I've only tried maybe 3-4 different dishes, in more than at least a dozen visits in total, simply because I've found a couple of the standard menu dishes I really love, and are hard to beat... incidentally, for me, the Farmer's Hash, 3 eggs (that's 1 extra egg for anyone not familiar with it, and recently, sometimes with smoked salmon added - a server suggestion, and a really nice touch.

So let's talk food quality - Unbelievably fresh and flavorable, quality ingredients - each and every time!! And super generous portions (at least of everything I've ever tried). And prices are completely reasonable (and not so highly overpriced like so many places, especially for unique, quality ingredients). Flavor cannot be beat, and I've eaten at TONS of breakfast/brunch places over the years!

Love that they offer flavored iced teas, in which the flavoring (which is sweetened) can be added to UN-sweetened black tea base, at least to lessen the sugar over already-sweetened iced tea. The menu here is ridiculous - always enticing, and never disappoints, especially in execution from the kitchen AND wait staff - always friendly and helpful.

Ok, despite my rave... a few critiques... some applicable to ALL First Watch locations. Not everyone wants to sit on a rock hard bench/chair. Only some of the booths have slightly padded seating, but with rock hard backs. The rest are rock hard seats with rock hard backs... and some, a "padded" bench, with with a small, narrow piece of wood (literally) for leaning back again. Now I'm all for the idea of get people in and out and clear tables, but making seating uncomfortable is a big turn-off. It would completely turn me away if I didn't eat at hours that are generally less busy, and not accompanied by senior family members... just not comfortable on the back... or other parts. ;)

And thank you, Winter Garden management for finally wising up and getting RID of the "test menu" that was in place for an extended period of time, wherein, the normally included artisan toast was NOT included any longer (with the price remaining the same, of course), thinking customers might be ok with that?! Especially when all other local First Watch locations still included the incredible artisan toast? Uh, no... seemed like it was discrimination against what might be perceived as patrons of the WG location maybe being able to afford less for more $, or who knows. Regardless, it's been remedied awhile back, so kudos for that!

However, that being said, they're still trying to put small ones over on us clientele. Last 2 times I was to WG, they no longer include the small cup of fruit with the meal I dish to order. NOW it's only included with CERTAIN dishes. To their credit, both servers I asked about it were kind enough to immediately offer to bring me my familiar, and appreciated tiny cup of fruit (seriously, there are like a few pieces of melon, a couple strawberry slices, a couple grapes, and maybe a few blueberries. I mean, come on First Watch, we realize you have to manage costs, but let's not ruin a good thing here, and let's definitely not sneak things in/off the menus, like your valued customers are not going to realize... that is literally nickel and diming, which NO ONE appreciates. If you have to raise prices $.30 to cover the fruit, just do it! But don't leave customers with a less than fantastic taste in their mouths (literally and figuratively) by being cheap! There, I said it.

All that being said, I can't give First Watch a 5-star rating for the few, obnoxious reasons mentioned, but it definitely gets a solid 4 starts for excellent, quality, tasty and fresh food I always enjoy. It's one of the few places, I dare say, my mouth literally waters every time I drive by (which is often,...

It's disheartening to leave a negative review, especially when you had high hopes for a restaurant. Unfortunately, my recent visit to First Watch left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. As much as I wanted to enjoy my dining experience, the misleading descriptions of the food on their menus, along with unscrambled eggs, burnt potatoes and undercooked turkey sausage, made it quite disappointing.

Let's start with the menus. Upon perusing the tantalizing descriptions, I was enticed by the promise of delectable dishes, only to find that reality fell far short. The descriptions were misleading, painting a picture of flavorful and well-executed meals that simply did not match the reality on my plate. It's essential for any restaurant to accurately represent their dishes, ensuring customers' expectations are met rather than shattered.

Now, onto the food itself. The burnt potatoes were a major letdown. I had expected a crispy exterior with a tender, fluffy interior, but what I received were blackened, charred potatoes that were inedible. The disappointment was amplified by the fact that potatoes are a staple in breakfast cuisine, and their preparation should be a basic skill for any restaurant.

To make matters worse, the turkey sausage was undercooked. Not only was this a significant food safety concern, but it also affected the overall flavor and texture of the dish. Undercooked sausage is an immediate turnoff, leaving me questioning the quality and hygiene standards of the establishment.

Service-wise, the experience was good. The wait staff members were attentive, accommodating, and responsive to customers' needs.

I must mention that I appreciate the effort it takes to run a restaurant and the challenges faced by the industry, but it's crucial to maintain consistent quality and accuracy in both food preparation and menu descriptions. As a customer, I want to feel valued and confident that the food I receive will be enjoyable and safe to consume.

I sincerely hope that First Watch takes this review constructively and works towards improving their menu descriptions, food preparation techniques, and overall service quality. It's important to be transparent with customers and deliver on the promises made. Until then, I cannot recommend First Watch to fellow diners seeking a satisfying breakfast experience.

Note: This review reflects my personal experience, and others may have different encounters at...

Worst dining experience I’ve had for as long as I can remember! We had a party of 6 and were pleasantly surprised when we were seated quickly. What wasn’t explained is this restaurant apparently has a “community” table which holds a party of 8 at max. While eating a customer who is according to the staff a frequent diner (a trainer from L.A. fitness) proceeded to walk up to our table and remove our coffee we were paying for to fill his cup. He was extremely rude and when we brought the bizarre experience to the manager’s attention she apologized and thought it was as strange as we did. He was belligerent when we questioned why he would walk up to a family who obviously was dining’s table and then stormed out leaving his cup behind on our table. At no time did the manager offer that the table was a community table (we never would have agreed to eat at a table where strangers could join our teenage daughters)! It wasn’t 10 minutes later before a gentleman who works for BMW proceededbto ask if he could sit with us. When we nicely explained no we were having breakfast he chose to sit with my daughter anyway. I immediately went to the manager who made NO effort to rectify the situation and pretty much told us to deal with it and the table was a community table. I then asked why It wasn’t explained where we were being seated on arrival or when we had the first issue and she had no explanation. I then asked for her supervisor and she told me “I am the boss”. Never again will I be a patron at this establishment and I am ashamed of the way the entire experience was handled. Jennifer was fantastic as was our waitress. It is my understanding that Jennifer has been with the restaurant for 10 years and even she was shocked at what had happened so the “community “ table explanation from the manager just...