FARM is the heart of First Watch company headquarters in Bradenton, Florida. But this isn’t the kind of farm that grows produce for the menu’s breakfast bowls or coffee for its sustainable beverage program—important as those are to the First Watch mission.
FARM stands for First Watch Academy of Restaurant Management, a space where every month, 25 managers are brought in from around the country for a week at a time for training and interactive sessions with all the different departments. “They get to hang out with us and on Friday afternoon, Chris [Tomasso, CEO] comes down and talks a little about First Watch history and they all graduate,” said Shane Schaibly, senior VP of culinary strategy.
FARM particpants add their “aha” moments here when they “graduate.” | Photo by Christine Koury
There’s a chalkboard positioned at the entrance to the “classroom” and each graduate is asked to jot down an “aha” moment or takeaway from their week. The feedback is always a highlight for the First Watch team.
The compact test kitchen is also located in this area. Schaibly’s right hand, Senior Manager of Culinary Operations Michael Tomassini, can often be found here trying out new equipment and products. He also loves to bake and may be whipping up a batch of banana bread or another treat.
But many of the actual menu items are developed in partnership with The Culinary Edge, a food and beverage innovation agency based in San Franciso, where Schaibly spends a good chunk of time working on R&D. And a lot of the recipe testing is done in First Watch restaurants, with locations in nearby Tampa a popular testing ground. Everything is tested a year ahead of its launch.
The space at headquarters also houses a café where employees gather for snacks, coffee and complimentary Friday lunches. “Lunch on Friday is like a little family meal and it’s not uncommon for CEO Chris Tomasso to join in, hanging out and eating pizza with everyone,” said Schaibly. “It’s a way to break down corporate barriers.”
Basket lights put to the test. | Photo by Christine Koury
It’s also not unusual for restaurant décor to be tested out in the Farm area, too. Basket lights and table styles are just two recent additions. “Sometimes we want to see if something is going to work or if we’re going to love it, so we put it down here and get feedback,” said Schaibly.
First Watch has a culture that fosters innovation and growth, with proof in the 64 locations added in 2025 and another 60 or so planned for 2026. And Chef Schaibly is immersed in every facet.
A menu makeover that started with a sketch
On Feb. 10, he released a refreshed menu design that was more than two years in the making. “It was actually sketched on paper that hung on the office wall since 2023, and it just came down,” said Schaibly, as we walked through the office corridors. “It’s the first big menu change we’ve done in 10 years.” It’s also the first time all restaurant locations will be using the same core menu and LTOs will be national.
The menu, which was in test for a year in Sarasota, Florida, restaurants, has a lighter, brighter look. Instead of a lot of photos, it sports mostly hand drawings “that are a little bit more colorful and fun,” said Schaibly. The blue and light orange on a beige background is easier to read than the previous menu, which was printed in black on brown craft paper, said Schaibly.
A selection of new menu items arranged on the new menu. | Photo courtesy of First Watch.
The menu organization is different as well. Beverages are now listed prominently on the core menu, and new items, like Strawberry Tres Leches French Toast, have moved onto the main menu with a designated icon to set them apart. Breakfast-centric dishes are listed on the front, with lunch, beverages and sides on the flip side. Seasonal specials are printed on a separate menu that has a similar design and color scheme with a couple of food photos.
Seasonal LTOs are on a separate printed menu and also displayed on a chalkboard hanging in the restaurants.| Photo by Christine Koury.
In the process of redesigning the menu, Schaibly and his team also tweaked some recipes, especially in the salad section. There is also a section called “The Healthier Side” with about a half dozen dishes, including an A.M. Superfoods Bowl with a base of coconut milk chia seed pudding topped with fruit and house-made granola; a Power Wrap made with cage-free egg whites, turkey, spinach, mozzarella and house-roasted crimini mushrooms; and the Tri-Athlete, an omelet with those same crimini mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and green chilies. Like all the menu items, calorie counts are included, but not those in-demand protein grams.
“We’ve been having conversations about how to get the message out about the protein already on our menu,” said Schaibly. In addition to the “healthier” dishes, he points to the Power Bowls, which have a base of protein-rich quinoa in addition to chicken or Italian sausage, eggs and/or cheese. “People looking for protein know where to look,” he added.
Nevertheless, Schaibly feels the brand can do a better job of telling customers about the higher protein dishes in “a subtle way,” and he’s not ruling that out in the future. Meanwhile, consumers can find all the nutrition data on the First Watch website and app.
The B.E.C. breakfast sandwich is positioned at the top of the new menu. | Photo courtesy of First Watch.
In the meantime, he and his team strive for a balance of sweet indulgences, breakfast classics with a twist, hearty hashes and benedicts and healthier items. The current limited-time Winter & Spring Menu, running through May 25, is a good example of that ideal menu mix. The fan favorite B.E.C. breakfast sandwich made with bacon, egg and cheddar and flavored with Calabrian chili aioli leads it off, with Blueberry Lemon Cornbread as a shareable and Strawberry Tres Leches French Toast and Chimichurri Steak & Eggs the sweet and savory offerings. The seasonal menu is also written on a chalkboard mounted in each restaurant.
Menu real estate is precious, and with the menu redesign, Schaibly eliminated single-use items like roasted zucchini and shallots. He also worked on maximizing cross-utilization. The signature barbacoa, for example, now stars in several items, including Barbacoa Breakfast Tacos and a Barbacoa Chilaquiles Breakfast Bowl. Barbacoa and some other proteins come in cooked sous vide and are finished on either the flattop, in a saute pan or in the combi oven. There are no fryers, microwaves or heat lamps in First Watch kitchens.
Some menu categories have been slimmed down as well. “Instead of six omelets, we now list three,” he said. “We are focusing on things we get credit for, like doing our own juicing at every location.”
The Pineapple Express is the limited-time fresh juice running on the Winter & Spring menu. | Photo courtesy of First Watch.
First Watch’s juicing program is a differentiator in the breakfast-and-lunch segment. Each morning, every restaurant juices fresh fruits and vegetables to create the menu’s signature beverages, including the popular Morning Meditation, a blend of orange, lemon, turmeric root, ginger, agave nectar and beets. There’s also a rotating seasonal sip available on the limited-time menu; Pineapple Express is the current selection. It’s a combo of pineapple, orange, coconut water, lime and agave with a sugared mint rim.
If these juices look like cocktails, that’s intentional. A good percentage of First Watch locations have bars, and guests can spike their juices with alcohol or order from the “Boozy” section of the menu. Cinnamon Toast Cereal Milk has a shot of coconut rum and Spiked Lavender Lemonade is mixed with vodka. There are also more traditional morning libations like the Million Dollar Bloody Mary and Mimosa.
Bars are part of the footprint at a number of restaurants. | Photo by Christine Koury
The restaurants embody the culture
The tour continued in a First Watch location in Sarasota. At first glance, it’s clear that the farm theme extends into the restaurants.
It starts with the story behind the chain’s single-origin coffee, Project Sunrise. The First Watch team has established long-term relationships with small farmers in Colombia to source the beans and benefit the growers. Each grower is allotted 1.5-2 acres planted with coffee trees.
Project Sunrise brings coffee from Colombia to First Watch locations. | Photo by Christine Koury.
“We started with 25% female growers and grew that by 5% every year,” said Schaibly, who has traveled to Colombia to meet with the women. “It’s now about 55% female, and the second generation has taken over in several cases. We go back every single year to continue to solidify and build those relationships.”
On the food side, the mantra is “follow the sun,” which is prominently displayed and applies to both the seasonal menu and sourcing. “We work with 40 local produce companies across the country to source ingredients when they are at their peak, following the sun from Florida to California and Mexico,” said Schaibly.
Blueberry Lemon Cornbread is plated in distinctive serving ware. | Photo by Christine Koury.
During the R&D process, the head chef also gets involved in choosing the serving ware for each dish. He’s had input into the color and shape of the bowls, juice glasses and plates for the Benedicts. Schaibly also attends all the photo sessions, which take place at a restaurant in downtown Sarasota.
“We have a little side room there, which used to be our corporate office back in the day,” said Schaibly. “The photographer comes down from Orlando and the food stylist comes from the east coast of Florida. We’ve all worked together for 12 years.”
An exec team made up of Schaibly, Chief Brand Officer Matt Eisenacher and CEO Tomasso also gets involved in the naming of menu items. “Naming is everything,” said Schaibly, pointing out a new juice that he’s testing now. It has cucumber, lime and coconut in its title and isn’t selling that well—perhaps because of its name. Items like the signature Million Dollar Bacon and trademarked Morning Meditation juice, on the other hand, are proven winners.
“Having the team involved in the whole process is our ‘secret sauce,’” said Schaibly. All are frequent visitors to the restaurants and ambassadors of the company culture. There are not a lot of layers in the chain of command.
In essence, First Watch acts more like a multi-unit independent than a 630-unit chain spanning 32 states. A majority of the restaurants—80%—are company-owned. “Our biggest competitors are independent restaurants and mom and pops,” said Schaibly.
In fact, no other full-service breakfast-and-lunch concepts are expanding as fast and opening as many new locations. And traffic and same-store sales were both up year-over-year in the third quarter: 2.6% and 7.1%, respectively.
A culture that encourages innovation is putting First Watch ahead of the curve.
