The First Watch daytime-only restaurant chain is adding alcohol to its breakfast, brunch and lunch menu.
The 400-unit operation is projecting that the new cocktail menu will be available from half the chain by the end of 2020. About 100 locations are currently offering the drinks, according to management.
“Brunch is an occasion to relax and connect with friends, and cocktails have become synonymous with that experience, so it wasn’t long before our customers began asking for them,” CEO Chris Tomasso said in a statement. “We crafted a program that delivers more than your basic brunch beverages or bottomless offerings, but really elevates the overall brand experience.”
The brand is touting the drinks’ in-house preparation from fresh fruits and vegetables as a point of differentiation.
The drinks menu marks the 37-year-old concept’s entry into the adult-beverage market. A number of competitors, including Snooze and Another Broken Egg, have enjoyed strong morning and midday sales from their cocktail lineups.
First Watch’s cocktails include Cinnamon Toast Cereal Milk, a drink made with coconut rum, cold-brewed coffee, coconut milk and agave nectar; Pomegranate Sunrise, a tequila sunrise made with pomegranate juice; and Vodka Kale Tonic, made with juiced kale, Fuji apple, English cucumber and lemon. Several classic cocktails are also offered.
First Watch operates in 29 states. Its units are typically open from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
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