Cook

First Watch; Columbia (MD); On-site; USD 31,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401(K)

Meal Discount

Tuition Reimbursement

PTO

Employee Assistance

Job summary

First Watch is seeking enthusiastic cooks who thrive in a fast-paced kitchen and value teamwork. The role emphasizes no night shifts, a people-first culture, and opportunities to grow while delivering breakfast, brunch, and lunch with quality and care.

You’ll train in a station that matches your comfort level, follow chef-developed recipes, work cleanly, and contribute to a positive dining experience for guests.

Qualifications

• Newly hired cooks will train in a station based on comfort level and innate skill.
• Deliver high-quality, safe food in a fast-paced kitchen with accuracy.
• Follow recipes and use only fresh ingredients for consistency.

Responsibilities

• Communicate well with others and contribute to teamwork.
• Prepare, cook, and plate menu items according to recipes.
• Maintain a clean, sanitized, and organized station throughout service.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Food safety

Fast-paced

Recipe adherence

Kitchen cleanliness

Job description

In addition to no night shifts ever, and our fully chef-curated menu, our #1 priority has always been our people. We care about our customers, and we care about you! That’s where our YOU FIRST culture begins – each day, we put our employees first and strive to make them happy. They are empowered with independence to make decisions that will help provide an exceptional breakfast, brunch, or lunch experience for their customers. In fact, we like to say we love our employees more than bacon. And that says a lot.

A Few of The Perks (and not just the coffee!)

All employees are eligible for the following:

• Health Insurance*
• Unlimited access to medical and behavioral telemedicine through Cirrus MD
• Flexible Spending Account - set aside money for health care expenses*
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account - set aside money for dependent care for children up to age 13*
• 401(K) Retirement Savings Program
• 50% meal discount for you, along with spouse / dependent children at all company restaurants
• Child Discount Program at The Learning Experience
• Employee Assistance Program and personal / professional coaching
• Bright Horizon - back up child and elder care
• Supplemental Insurance (accident, critical illness, indemnity)
• Paid Time Off (PTO) - must meet the minimum hourly requirements
• Tuition Reimbursement & High School Diploma Program
• Spot Pet Insurance
• Complimentary premium access to the Calm App, plus 5 gift subscriptions
• Perks at Work (over 30,000 discounts on purchases for travel, fitness, auto event tickets & more)

*FT Employees are eligible the first of the month after 60 days of employment and must enroll within 30 days of employment.

About The Position

Our Back-of-the-House team members have a mutual respect for quality food, and they perform their responsibilities as if placing a personal signature on every plate. Newly hired cooks will train in a specific station based on their comfort level & innate skill. In other words, you don’t need to master the art of flipping an egg to work at First Watch (unless you want to!)

Does this sound like you? Our Cooks (just to name a few):

• Communicate well with others and believe in the importance of teamwork
• Are responsible for delivering high-quality, safe food in a fast-paced kitchen
• Follow our amazing recipes (yep - our Chef is an award winner!) & use only the freshest ingredients
• Maintain a clean, sanitized, and organized station