BRADENTON, Fla., Sept. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FWRG), the leading Daytime Dining concept serving breakfast, brunch and lunch, recently announced the promotion of Rob Conti to Chief Information Officer. Joining First Watch in 2019, he previously served as Senior Vice President of Information Technology, and brings to the role more than 25 years of experience leading technology solutions and services for prominent hospitality brands. At First Watch, he is responsible for setting the organization’s IT strategy and roadmap, and ensuring successful integration of technology initiatives and programs.
“Rob joined First Watch when our IT program was still in its infancy and since then, he has scaled the function and built the team to support our aggressive growth,” said Chris Tomasso, CEO and President. “He made our systems more sophisticated and our processes more seamless. Everything he does is through the eyes of our operators, employees and customers, ensuring even our IT delivers on our ‘You First’ commitment.”
Conti has overseen the delivery of key company systems, including the development of a business intelligence platform, a cyber security program, a pay at the table solution and kitchen display systems (KDS). In 2021, he was named one of the most influential restaurant executives by Nation’s Restaurant News.
Before joining First Watch, Conti spent over 18 years at Hard Rock International in various IT leadership roles, most notably Vice President of Technology. He was responsible for global IT infrastructure and operations, including security and compliance efforts across more than 200 businesses in 74 countries. He also spent over 10 years with The Walt Disney Company in restaurant operations.
“I am honored to continue serving our Home Office, shareholders and most importantly, our restaurant teams and customers in this new role,” said Conti. “Having spent over 35 years in hospitality, it is part of my DNA to manage and support technology in our space. I am excited about continuing to evolve technology solutions to First Watch.”
About First Watch
First Watch is an award-winning Daytime Dining concept serving made-to-order breakfast, brunch and lunch using fresh ingredients. A recipient of hundreds of local “Best Breakfast” and “Best Brunch” accolades, First Watch’s chef-driven menu includes elevated executions of classic favorites along with First Watch specialties such as the protein-packed Quinoa Power Bowl®, Farm Stand Breakfast Tacos, Avocado Toast, Chickichanga, Morning Meditation (juiced in-house daily), Spiked Lavender Lemonade and its signature Million Dollar Bacon. In 2023, First Watch was named the top restaurant brand in Yelp’s inaugural list of the top 50 most-loved brands in the U.S. In 2023 and 2022, First Watch was named a Top 100 Most Loved Workplace® in Newsweek by the Best Practice Institute. In 2022, First Watch was awarded a sought-after MenuMasters honor by Nation’s Restaurant News for its seasonal Braised Short Rib Omelet, recognized with ADP’s coveted Culture at Work Award. First Watch operates more than 535 First Watch restaurants in 29 states. For more information, visit www.firstwatch.com.
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