First Watch terminates COO amid restructuring

East Manatee County-based First Watch has terminated a member of its leadership team as part of a restructuring.

COO Dan Jones was let go March 27, according to a form filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Jones had been with the company since 2021, after serving as COO for CAVA for five years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The move at First Watch comes as “part of a restructuring” of the company’s “operations leadership structure,” according to the SEC filing. 

“The company thanks Mr. Jones for his substantial contributions during a transformational period for the company and wishes him well in his future endeavors,” the filing says.

First Watch posted $1.2 billion in revenue in 2025, a 20.3% increase over 2024. The company operates more than 630 restaurants in 32 states — after opening a record 64 restaurants last year — and is on a path to grow 10% annually until it reaches 2,200 restaurants. It has more than 15,000 employees.

Following the departure of Jones, operations leadership will report directly to First Watch President and CEO Chris Tomasso.

The COO role is one of two C-suite changes the company has made public in the last two months. In February, CFO Mel Hope announced his plan to retire later this year. Since then, First Watch has been in the process of identifying his successor, evaluating both internal and external candidates.