Cook

First Watch; Union (NJ); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401(K) Retirement Savings Program

50% meal discount for you and family

Tuition Reimbursement & High School-D

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Job summary

First Watch is hiring Cooks for daytime shifts in New Jersey. You’ll work in a fast-paced, chef-curated kitchen that prioritizes people first and delivers fresh breakfast, brunch, and lunch options.

Join a team that values teamwork, safety, and continuous learning, with perks that support health, growth, and work-life balance. You’ll help craft exceptional dishes while maintaining a clean and safe kitchen environment.

Qualifications

• Ability to work well with others and support a collaborative kitchen team.
• Follows food safety protocols and maintains sanitation standards.
• Willingness to learn multiple kitchen stations and adapt to daily needs.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and cook menu items according to First Watch recipes and standards.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and sanitary workstation.
• Assist in training new cooks and onboarding teammates.
• Communicate effectively with team members and managers to ensure timely service.

Skills

Teamwork

Food safety

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