First Watch Opening in Florence, KY, Hits Close to Home for CEO Ken Pendery

The new location is First Watch’s 11^th Cincinnati-area restaurant

First Watch CEO and President Ken Pendery will be celebrating First Watch’s 11^th Cincinnati-area restaurant opening in his hometown on Monday, October 12. The award-winning breakfast, brunch and lunch concept will open the doors to its newest location in Florence Square on Monday, 24 years after First Watch made its Cincinnati debut. The new restaurant occupies a 3,500-square-foot space at 7727 Mall Road, Suite A.

Pendery is no stranger to the Queen City. The CEO was born and raised in Fort Thomas, Ky., just five miles from the heart of the booming city where he still owns breakfast, brunch and lunch restaurant The National Exemplar and event venue The Phoenix. Pendery’s brother, Paul Pendery, serves as the regional vice president of First Watch’s Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Nashville restaurants.

“To have taken First Watch, which started as just one restaurant more than 30 years ago and now have developed more than 10 First Watch restaurants in our hometown – that’s really something,” said Ken Pendery. “The people here have been loyal to First Watch since we opened our first Cincinnati location in 1991. They trust us, and we really cherish the relationship we’ve built with them.”

The Florence Square restaurant will feature the company’s new restaurant design. The new prototype combines the high energy of city life with comfortable farm-inspired elements, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere.

First Watch will bring the company’s fresh approach to breakfast, brunch and lunch to Florence with healthy, flavorful favorites like cage-free eggs, house-made granola and salsa, house-roasted vegetables and 100% fresh-squeezed orange juice. The new First Watch will also serve options from its Fresh Juice Bar, including Day Glow, Kale Tonic and the new seasonal Surprise and Shine, freshly juiced in-house daily from only the finest fruits and vegetables. The restaurant will also serve its exclusive Sunrise Select Premium Blend Coffee, which is made from slow-roasted, hand-selected, high-grown coffee beans from mountains across North, Central and South America.

The new First Watch in Florence will serve its entire menu seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The restaurant also offers customers complimentary newspapers and free Wi-Fi Internet access.

For First Watch franchise information, please visit http://www.firstwatch.com/franchise/.

First Watch specializes in award-winning, made-to-order Breakfast, Brunch and Lunch. A recipient of more than 200 “Best Breakfast” and “Best Brunch” accolades, First Watch offers traditional favorites, such as omelets, pancakes, sandwiches and salads, and unique specialty items like Quinoa Power Bowls and the Chickichanga. Just recently, First Watch was named a 2015 Top Consumer Pick by Nation’s Restaurant News and has received other recognition including being named a 2013 “Next 20” Emerging Brand by Nation’s Restaurant News and a 2014 Top Franchise Value by FSR Magazine. First Watch is the largest and fastest-growing daytime-only restaurant concept in the U.S. with more than 260 restaurants in 26 states, including more than 135 First Watch restaurants, 116 The Egg & I restaurants, 20 The Good Egg restaurants and one Bread & Company restaurant in Nashville (with another one under construction). For more information, visit firstwatch.com.