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“We’re all just humans. We all just want to be accepted. It doesn’t matter what preferences we have, we all feed off of positive energy. We all feed off of being respected, no matter where we are. We all want love and we feed off of that to become a better human ourselves.” Meet Mercades Hartney - a talented First Watch Black Apron server, loving wife and proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community. She’s been an incredible steward of our You First culture for more than a year now, welcoming new employees and making sure everyone on the team feels supported and heard. It’s important for us to support and elevate all the beautiful and diverse voices on our team, and we’re proud to share Mercades’ story today 🌈
As an exchange student from Mongolia, Selma studied in Texas for three months during her first year of college. She enjoyed her time in the States so much that she decided to move to Virginia, where she discovered First Watch and began serving in our Fairfax restaurant. Tim, her first manager, taught her First Watch's values and even helped her pronounce and learn about American breakfast foods. In 2019, she spent a week with 25 of her First Watch colleagues at the First Watch Academy of Restaurant Management (FARM) at our Home Office in Florida, which left a lasting impact on our Virginia leader. Selma credits two of her mentors, Brad and Angela, for encouraging her to take the next step to become a manager. She now leads the Harbourview team under the belief that, "Hard work pays off!" Thanks for always inspiring our Harbourview team, Selma!
Although Bobby now works with our IT team, he's no stranger to the inside of a restaurant kitchen! He worked as a kitchen manager for a restaurant in Mississippi before joining that company's IT team. A self-proclaimed computer nerd since childhood, Bobby and his family loved First Watch before learning about the career opportunity that would lead him to join our team in Florida. Bobby is a member of our RISE Advisory Council, where he has the opportunity to partner with and advise our leadership team on how we can advance DEI programs and how First Watch can work internally to develop our Black employees. In 2020, Bobby and the Council helped lead a series of webinars pointed at discussing racism and microaggressions with our teams throughout First Watch — an experience that left a lasting impression on our beloved Director of Restaurant Technology. From online ordering to contactless payment, Bobby has been one of the masterminds behind all of the changes you've seen in our First Watch restaurants during the past 12 months. And if you ask who helped inspire his work ethic? Yoda:
Did you know that First Watch closed all of our locations from April 12 until June 1st to allow our teams and managers to stay home while most states were on lock down? That gave our people the opportunity to be safe and well rested and able to return when it was safe! Oh and we made our managers whole by paying the gap between unemployment and normal wages for the time they were off. How many companies can say that?
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Congratulations Ken and Chris!
Because we love our employees more than Bacon. And that says a lot.
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Together, we enjoy a fun, fast-paced environment in each of our restaurants. If you like what you see at our restaurants, then Apply Today. We are currently searching for energetic people who can deliver top-notch service, build meaningful relationships and become part of our team.
