First Watch

Leadership

First Watch CEO Chris Tomasso among IFMA Silver Plate Award winners

The 70th annual awards from the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association recognize leaders who have made lasting contributions to advance the foodservice industry.

Leadership

First Watch co-founder Ken Pendery dies at age 70

He was involved in the daytime dining chain for 38 years, many of them spent as CEO. "Ken's impact and influence is—and will forever be—felt throughout our organization," current CEO Chris Tomasso said.

The breakfast-and-lunch chain is proceeding slowly and selectively in building its stack.

To mark the opening of its new location in Downtown Nashville, the breakfast-lunch concept is giving Music City guests a little something different.

The chain will pick up 21 restaurants in North Carolina, bringing total franchised location acquisitions since May to 44.

The breakfast-and-lunch chain recently opened its 500th location and has many others under development as it works to expand its presence.

Before joining First Watch in 2019, Eisenacher was COO of Piada Italian Street Food.

Chain officials say the high prices of third-party services are driving patrons to dine on-site.

First Watch and Texas Roadhouse led a strong showing for sit-down chains on a newly published ranking.

New units are breaking records as the daytime-dining concept evolves to serve more diners and build profitability.

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