First Watch names chief technology officer

First Watch Restaurant Group has promoted Rob Conti to chief information officer.

Conti started working at the east Manatee County-based company in 2019 as senior vice president of information technology, according to a statement. Since then, he has overseen the development of pay-at-the-table solutions, a cybersecurity program, business intelligence platform and kitchen display systems. 

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“Rob joined First Watch when our IT program was still in its infancy and since then, he has scaled the function and built the team to support our aggressive growth,” First Watch CEO and President Chris Tomasso says in a statement. “He made our systems more sophisticated and our processes more seamless.”

In his new role as chief information officer, Conti will set the IT strategy and ensure successful integration of technology programs, according to a statement.

He has decades of experience in the technology and hospitality industries.

For more than 18 years, Conti worked for Hard Rock International in various IT leadership roles, including vice president of technology, according to a statement, which says he was responsible for security and compliance efforts across more than 200 businesses in 74 countries.

Conti also worked for the Walt Disney Co. in restaurant operations for more than 10 years.

“Having spent over 35 years in hospitality, it is part of my DNA to manage and support technology in our space. I am excited about continuing to evolve technology solutions to First Watch," Conti says in a statement. "I am honored to continue serving our home office, shareholders and most importantly, our restaurant teams and customers in this new role."