A new brunch spot has taken root next door to Smith's Food and Drug on Fort Union Boulevard in Midvale, and the breakfast chain behind it is betting that mornings and early afternoons are all it needs to build a following. First Watch formally opened its Midvale location in early September, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch daily from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., according to the company.
The restaurant sits at 912 East Fort Union Boulevard, according to First Watch, which describes itself as an award-winning breakfast, brunch and lunch favorite specializing in both traditional and innovative dishes made fresh to order. The chain's rise in Midvale was first reported by the Midvale Journal, which covered the opening in its Local Life section. Diners can dine in, order takeout or delivery, place orders online, or join the waitlist remotely rather than stand in line.
A Soft Start Before the Doors Opened Wide
Before the official launch, First Watch held a soft opening on August 24, inviting waitstaff and kitchen staff to bring their friends and family through the doors for a practice run. Alex Klick, a waitress at the restaurant, served her own friends during that trial night and said it helped her get comfortable with the kitchen and the menu before paying customers arrived.
Since opening to the public, the restaurant has grown busier, according to the Midvale Journal's reporting. “Everyone loves a good brunch,” Klick said, per the same account. She orders the French toast often during her breaks and recommends it to customers who ask what to try first.
No Fryers, No Heat Lamps, No Microwaves
First Watch's model leans on a kitchen built without shortcuts: the company has said it does not use deep fryers, heat lamps or microwaves, according to Restaurant Business. That approach extends to staffing, where managers go through a 10-week in-restaurant training program that the chain recently stretched to 11 weeks by adding a session at its support center in Sarasota, Florida, the outlet reported.
The Midvale menu includes signature items such as the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Quinoa Power Bowl and the chain's Million Dollar Bacon, according to a report from Yahoo Finance and GlobeNewswire. Locally, the restaurant also offers a “Two for You” meal pairing two small-serving items from its soup, salad and sandwich menu for $12.99, per the Midvale Journal's reporting.
Bright Décor, a Borrowed Bank Ceiling
Inside, the space is described as having eclectic, bright interior décor, and it reportedly still carries the old ceiling of a bank that previously occupied the building, according to the Midvale Journal. The restaurant's daytime-only hours are by design: restaurant chain CEO Chris Tomasso has said the brand's brunch-only schedule creates a strong employee proposition, helping it retain staff in an industry known for churn, Restaurant Business reported.
That scheduling model has also shaped who shows up at the tables. Per Forbes, First Watch welcomes freelancers and people working from laptops during its daytime hours, a niche that fits a chain positioned, as Restaurant Business describes it, between pricier brunch spots and value-focused legacy chains like Cracker Barrel, IHOP and Denny's.
Rapid Growth Across Utah and Beyond
Midvale is only the latest stop in a Utah expansion that has unfolded over several years. First Watch has also announced plans for a Logan location at the former Denny's site on the northwest corner of 1000 North Main Street, though the Herald Journal reports the business has not released an estimated opening date there. A Riverdale, Utah, project is also underway, with the company filing for a building permit to convert the former Goodwood BBQ site into a restaurant; Davis County Utah notes that project remains in the permitting phase with no official opening date announced.
Elsewhere, a First Watch near Layton Hills Mall officially opened on November 17, 2025, after a friends-and-family trial run, according to Chew and Chat, which also reported the chain had 585 locations across 32 states as of May 2025. The pace has only accelerated since: First Watch finished 2025 with 633 restaurants while opening roughly one new location a week, per Restaurant Business, and by October 2026 the company reported operating more than 660 restaurants across 33 states, according to the Yahoo Finance and GlobeNewswire report.
The growth has stretched beyond Utah's borders too. In Idaho, First Watch opened its third Meridian-area location in June, bringing all three of the state's restaurants to that single city, the Idaho Statesman reported, with the local franchise group saying at the time it planned at least two more Boise-area locations and at least four more in Utah. Further east, First Watch opened a Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, restaurant in June inside a former Ruby Tuesday building, seating 170 people indoors and out alongside a locally inspired mural, according to LehighValleyLive.com.
