First Watch tops most loved workplace list two years in a row

First Watch has been named the most loved workplace in America for the second year in a row. The dining company based in east Manatee County topped the 2025 Most Loved Workplaces list compiled by the Best Practice Institute, which surveyed more than 2.8 million employees.

The recognition comes as First Watch is undergoing significant growth — it has more than 16,000 employees and over 600 restaurants. When it was named the Most Loved Workplace in 2024, the company had more than 15,000 employees and over 535 restaurants.

“Being named America’s #1 Most Loved Workplace for the second consecutive year is a tremendous honor that reflects the heart of our company – our people,” First Watch Chief People Officer Laura Sorensen says in a statement. “At First Watch, our employees are the reason we exist, and we’re deeply committed to enhancing their lives through meaningful benefits and impactful programs.”

First Watch employees who were surveyed responded positively regarding their work-life balance and benefits like backup child care and elder care, free access to the Calm app, professional coaching, free high school diploma programs, tuition reimbursement and free telemedicine services, according to a statement. The company also says its one-shift model with no night shifts enables teams to build connections at work and spend evenings with their loved ones.

First Watch, which says it is the first company to top the Most Loved Workplaces list two years in a row, also attributes its success to what it calls a “You First” culture: It puts its employees first, so they feel empowered to put their customers first, according to a statement.

In addition to surveying employees, the Best Practice Institute interviewed hundreds of executives on culture, leadership and strategy to come up with its Most Loved Workplaces list.

First Watch officials say one element in the company's culture has been a listening tour called We Hear You (W.H.Y.), when servers, cooks, dishwashers and bussers can provide candid feedback to Sorenson, COO Dan Jones as well as CEO and President Chris Tomasso through video conversations. The conversations — which have spanned more than 150 hours and included over 1,500 employees since they began in 2021 — have resulted in enhancements to the menu, compensation, benefits and operating systems, First Watch says in a statement.

One other company in the region made the Most Loved Workplaces 2025 list: Clearwater-based tech security firm KnowBe4 was ranked No. 20, climbing from No. 55 last year.