Food: First Watch
Answering the call for a café that only served early breakfast, brunch and lunch, First Watch opened its doors 28 years ago and now has 87 cafés nationwide. In January, First Watch debuted in Oklahoma City under the ownership/management of Ghassan Dabbour. As a restaurant franchisee, Dabbour wanted to spend more time with his family and traded 18 years in a 24-hour restaurant business for the mornings he loves. “While visiting friends in Kansas, we ate at First Watch and enjoyed it immensely. I called corporate before leaving the parking lot and told them I saw myself doing this and here we are,” said Dabbour.
First Watch has fresh food and low-calorie options that meet thedemands of a nation becoming more health-conscious. “Healthy choices is a trend I want to be a part of. We cook it fresh every day starting at 6 a.m.” And First Watch boasts excellent customer service which includes greeting every customer with a fresh pot of coffee and a smile. “We like to impress our customers with an experience that’s memorable and different,” he said.
Nijim, Dabbour’s son, is regional manager and Noalle, Dabbour’s daughter, is the assistant manager and a cook. “Our employees are the channel between me and my customers so I create a good environment for them. We help one another by treating the restaurant as one station and we all serve the customers,” said Dabbour.
With a motto of “If we can, we will,” there are no substitution charges for anyone wanting to ‘tweak’ their order and no charge for sharing meals. They’ll even bring extra plates. Quick service has food at your table within 10 minutes of ordering and a specials board is visible to every table. “Our menu is set by corporate but we have fun with the specials board featuring some of our own creations,” said Nijim.
“We love the ‘wow’ effect when customers order our Fruity Chicken Salad with diced green apples, raisins and water chestnuts. It truly is an explosion of deliciousness,” said Nijim of one of his favorite menu items.
First Watch is open daily from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and only closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is located at 2328 W.Memorial, between Pennsylvania and May avenues in Quail Springs Marketplace across from Quail Springs Mall. For more information, call 748-EGGS (3447), visit www.firstwatch.com or find First Watch on Facebook and Twitter.
