Egg-Cracking Ceremony Opens First Watch’s New Bradenton HQ

BRADENTON, FL — The brunch restaurant chain First Watch opened its new corporate headquarters in the University Town Center area with a ceremonial cracking of the eggs Thursday.

The newly constructed 39,000-square-foot standalone building is located just off Cooper Creek Boulevard behind the BJ’s shopping center at 8725 Pendery Place. The new street is named for the company’s chairman emeritus and former CEO, Kenneth L. Pendery, Jr., First Watch said in a news release.

The company’s current president and CEO Chris Tomasso was joined by various local dignitaries, including Liza Mitneer and Jacki Dezelski with the Manatee Chamber of Commerce; Kevin Chapman with Manatee County Schools; Dr. Scott Hopes, Manatee County administrator; and Pascale Edouard, the county’s Health Care Service Program manager, at the event, according to a spokesperson for First Watch.

“For decades, First Watch has had the distinct privilege and pleasure of calling the Suncoast our home. Ever since our founders made the decision to relocate from Pacific Grove, California, to sunny Sarasota, this vibrant beach community has not only welcomed us with open arms but embraced us as their go-to brunch destination,” Tomasso said. “It is safe to say that we would not be the successful high-growth company we are today without having planted roots here and building our company behind the great people in this region, and we look forward to continuing to call Bradenton home for many, many more years to come.”

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Built by Benderson Development, the new two-story office will serve as home base for approximately 100 employees who support First Watch’s national operations in critical functional areas such as accounting, finance, marketing, development and IT, First Watch said.

The new corporate headquarters features:

• a state-of-the-art fitness center featuring a Mirror gym system from lululemon, a Peloton, free weights and locker rooms with showers;
• a high-tech training room and recreational area to support the First Watch Academy of Restaurant Management (FARM) which brings managers from across the country to the area for one week of immersive training;
• a culinary suite for development of First Watch’s various seasonal menus, as well as core menu developments and innovations;
• a “Mother’s Room” for nursing moms and Wellness Room that provides a quiet space with low lighting and comfortable reclining furniture for mental health breaks;
• several Huddle Rooms with comfortable seating to help team members across departments gather for meetings and breakout work sessions;
• an employee café with second-story patio that overlooks a scenic lake;
• expansive windows that allow for ample natural light; and
• one-of-a-kind murals created by local artist Angela Delaplane.

First Watch has led its operation out of Manatee and Sarasota Counties since the organization moved to Florida in 1986, when it opened its first Sunshine State restaurant in south Sarasota on South Tamiami Trail, which still serves the local community seven days a week, the company said.

The company then opened its second local restaurant later that year in downtown Sarasota, which was also home to the original corporate office — a 250-square-foot back room with two desks that has since been transformed into a space for private meetings and food photoshoots.

Today, First Watch operates nine restaurants in Sarasota and Manatee counties and has grown its national footprint to more than 420 restaurants across 29 states.