8 First Watch-owned restaurants still closed post-Milton

East Manatee County-based First Watch says it closed more than 80 of its company-owned restaurants that were in Hurricane Milton’s path, and by Oct. 14, all but eight had reopened. The closed restaurants are mainly in the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas, according to a spokesperson for First Watch.

Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key Oct. 9. For at least one business day, the company reports it closed 85 eateries due to storm preparation, power outages, employee safety, damage assessment and restocking from Oct. 8 to Oct. 13.

“We are grateful that our team members and their families are safe in the aftermath of Milton and that we have been able to resume operations at nearly all of our restaurants,” First Watch CEO and President Chris Tomasso says in an Oct. 14 statement.

Fewer than 10 of First Watch’s company-owned restaurants closed for at least one business day due to Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend on Sept. 26. Officials say that only one restaurant was closed for more than three days.

The restaurant group, which has its headquarters in University Park, spans more than 530 restaurants across the country, including over 450 that are company-owned.

First Watch officials say they have comprehensive insurance coverage — including property, flood and business interruption — at all restaurants, and they are currently working to assess the overall impact of the storms in collaboration with insurance providers. The assessment is expected to take at least several weeks to complete.