wellington table
First Watch Serves Up Fresh Delights For Breakfast, Brunch And Lunch
Story by Lauren Miró Photos by Abner Pedraza
First Watch — “the Daytime Café” — has brought its fresh and fabulous breakfast, brunch and lunch to Wellington. Now open in Wellington Green Plaza on State Road 7, the restaurant offers a unique take on classic meals.
said. “It’s a family-friendly, vibrant community.”
The popular restaurant concept first opened in 1983 in California, but relocated its headquarters to Bradenton, Fla., in 1986. “We’re celebrating 30 years,” Regional Manager Les King said.
“The community seems to be excited that we’re here,” he said. “When the sign went up [on the building], we had people come to see if we were open yet. People know the restaurant from other locations and know they’re going to have a good experience.”
There are 105 First Watch restaurants, including 37 in Florida. The restaurant has made itself a household name across the state, engaging in the communities and becoming a neighborhood staple. First Watch Chief Marketing Officer Chris Tomasso noted that the restaurant believes in maintaining a family-friendly, neighbor-like atmosphere. “We don’t consider ourselves a chain,” he said. “We are more of a network of neighborhood restaurants. We really go out of our way to be active in the community. We focus on local activities.” First Watch expanded into South Florida in 2006, but just opened in Wellington a few months ago, Tomasso said. The restaurant also has locations in Sunrise, Stuart and Boca Raton. “Wellington really fits with our demographic,” he 1.
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King noted that those familiar with First Watch have been enthusiastic to see the restaurant open.
The philosophy is simple: fresh food, never reheated, made to order and to the customer’s satisfaction. “All of our food is made fresh,” King said. “There are no microwaves, no fryers and no heat lamps in our restaurants.” Everything is made in house, he noted. “We make our own granola, our own French toast batter,” King said. “We house roast our Roma tomatoes and onions. It’s really quality food.” Tomasso noted that this is uncommon for most restaurants with multiple locations. “When a chain has more than 100 restaurants like we do, most are likely to outsource that,” he said. “But we make everything fresh in house.” First Watch offers a comfortable 2.
(Right) A look at the bright and airy restaurant. (Below, left to right) 1. Pecan Dijon Salad & Monterey Club: The salad is a mix of chicken breast, bacon, avocado, pecans, tomato and carrots with cheddar and Monterey jack, topped with honey Dijon. The Monterey Club packs turkey, bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, Monterey jack cheese and mayonnaise between slices of multi-grain bread. 2. Quinoa Power Bowl: Quinoa with kale, shredded carrots and roasted tomatoes, topped with grilled, all-natural lemon chicken, basil, pesto sauce, feta crumbles and fresh herbs. 3. Multigrain Blueberry Pancakes: Light and fluffy with bursts of blueberry goodness. 4. Farmhouse Chicken Hash: Two eggs, any style, on top of seasoned potatoes, all-natural white-meat chicken, roasted zucchini, onions, red peppers and melted cheddar cheese, topped with a pesto hollandaise sauce. 5. Floridian French Toast: Sourdough bread lathered in French toast batter with wheat germ and cinnamon sugar, then topped with banana, kiwi and berries. 3.