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First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 24 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 7 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Q4 revenue and system-wide sales grew: Q4 2025 total revenues rose 20.2% to $316.4 million, and system-wide sales rose 16.1% to $353.1 million, both compared with Q4 2024. Source
  • Full-year revenue and system-wide sales grew: Full-year 2025 total revenues rose 20.3% to $1.2 billion, and system-wide sales rose 16.1% to $1.4 billion, compared with 2024. Source
  • Full-year net income and Adjusted EBITDA rose: Net income for 2025 was $19.4 million, against $18.9 million in 2024. Adjusted EBITDA was $120.9 million, against $113.8 million. Source
  • 2025 openings lifted total to 633: In 2025 the company opened 64 system-wide restaurants, 55 company-owned and 9 franchise-owned. The system totals 633 restaurants, 560 company-owned and 73 franchise-owned, across 32 states. Source
  • Q4 same-restaurant sales rose, traffic fell: Q4 same-restaurant sales grew 3.1%, and same-restaurant traffic declined 1.9%. The prior-year quarter showed negative 0.3% sales and negative 3.0% traffic. Source
  • Full-year restaurant margin fell to 18.5%: Full-year restaurant level operating profit margin was 18.5%, and income from operations margin was 2.3%. The 2024 comparisons were 20.1% and 3.9%. Source
  • Digital marketing platform is a focus: Management named the expansion of its evolving digital marketing platform as a particular area of growth for 2026 and beyond. Source

“2025 was a year of significant progress on a number of fronts for First Watch.”

Chris Tomasso, CEO and President of First Watch

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Same-restaurant sales growth Sourcefiscal 20261% to 3%Kept
Total revenue growth Sourcefiscal 202612%-14%Kept
Adjusted EBITDA Sourcefiscal 2026$132 million to $140 millionKept
New system-wide restaurants Sourcefiscal 202659 to 63Kept
Capital expenditures Sourcefiscal 2026$150.0 million to $160.0 millionKept
Long-term same-restaurant sales growth Sourcelong-term annual target~3.5%Kept
Long-term restaurant count Sourcelong-termmore than 2,200 restaurantsKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: The fiscal 2026 figures match the prior release. The one wording difference: the prior release said the 59 to 63 count did not include 3 company-owned closures, and this release says it includes them. Source
  • Guidance kept: Management reiterated its long-term annual financial targets, with no change from the prior release. Source

Full-year and fourth-quarter results

  • Q4 revenue and system-wide sales grew: Q4 2025 total revenues rose 20.2% to $316.4 million, and system-wide sales rose 16.1% to $353.1 million, both compared with Q4 2024. Source
  • Full-year revenue and system-wide sales grew: Full-year 2025 total revenues rose 20.3% to $1.2 billion, and system-wide sales rose 16.1% to $1.4 billion, compared with 2024. Source
  • Full-year net income and Adjusted EBITDA rose: Net income for 2025 was $19.4 million, against $18.9 million in 2024. Adjusted EBITDA was $120.9 million, against $113.8 million. Source
  • Q4 operating income and net income rose: Q4 income from operations rose to $9.0 million from $3.9 million. Q4 net income was $15.2 million, against $0.7 million a year earlier. Source

Restaurant openings and footprint

  • Q4 openings were 13 restaurants: The company opened 13 system-wide restaurants in Q4 2025, 12 company-owned and 1 franchise-owned, across 11 states. Source
  • 2025 openings lifted total to 633: In 2025 the company opened 64 system-wide restaurants, 55 company-owned and 9 franchise-owned. The system totals 633 restaurants, 560 company-owned and 73 franchise-owned, across 32 states. Source
  • Comparable base grew to 381 restaurants: The comparable restaurant base was 381 restaurants for the 2025 period, against 344 a year earlier. The base covers company-owned First Watch restaurants open 18 months or longer. Source

“In addition to continuing our industry-leading new restaurant growth of nearly 11%, we increased total revenues by more than 20%, which included same-restaurant sales growth of 3.6% and positive same-restaurant traffic,”

Chris Tomasso, CEO and President of First Watch

Same-restaurant sales and traffic

  • Q4 same-restaurant sales rose, traffic fell: Q4 same-restaurant sales grew 3.1%, and same-restaurant traffic declined 1.9%. The prior-year quarter showed negative 0.3% sales and negative 3.0% traffic. Source
  • Q4 restaurant sales rose: Q4 restaurant sales were $314.0 million, against $260.6 million in Q4 2024. Source
  • Full-year traffic stayed positive: For 2025, same-restaurant sales grew 3.6% and same-restaurant traffic grew 0.5%, as the company reported. Source

Costs and restaurant margins

  • Q4 food and labor costs rose: Q4 food and beverage costs were $71.7 million, against $59.2 million. Labor and other related expenses were $105.1 million, against $87.7 million. Source
  • Full-year restaurant margin fell to 18.5%: Full-year restaurant level operating profit margin was 18.5%, and income from operations margin was 2.3%. The 2024 comparisons were 20.1% and 3.9%. Source
  • Q4 restaurant margin edged up: Q4 restaurant level operating profit margin was 19.0%, against 18.8%. Restaurant level operating profit was $59.6 million, against $49.0 million. Source

“As we look to 2026 and beyond, we are energized by the growth opportunities across all facets of our business, particularly the expansion of our evolving digital marketing platform.”

Chris Tomasso, CEO and President of First Watch

Earnings per share and share count

  • Q4 diluted EPS was $0.24: Q4 diluted EPS was $0.24, against $0.01 a year earlier. Full-year diluted EPS was $0.31, against $0.30 in 2024. Source
  • Diluted share count rose slightly: Q4 weighted average diluted shares were 62,877,592, against 62,335,821 a year earlier. Source
  • Q4 income tax was a benefit: Q4 income tax was a benefit of $10.7 million, against $39 thousand of expense a year earlier. Source

Interest and non-GAAP reconciliation

  • Interest expense rose to $16.7 million: Full-year interest expense was $16.7 million, against $12.6 million in 2024. Q4 interest expense was $4.8 million. Source
  • Q4 Adjusted EBITDA rose: Q4 Adjusted EBITDA was $33.7 million, against $24.3 million, with an Adjusted EBITDA margin of 10.6% against 9.2%. The company defines the measure as non-GAAP. Source
  • Stock-based compensation rose: Full-year stock-based compensation, net of amounts capitalized, was $10.8 million, against $8.5 million in 2024. It is a reconciling item to Adjusted EBITDA. Source

Products, digital, brand and community

  • Menu rotates several times a year: The company describes its chef-driven menu as rotating multiple times per year under a Follow the Sun philosophy, featuring flavors at their peak. Source
  • Digital marketing platform is a focus: Management named the expansion of its evolving digital marketing platform as a particular area of growth for 2026 and beyond. Source
  • Best Breakfast award recognized: The company said it was voted #1 Best Breakfast by Newsweek’s Readers’ Choice Awards for 2025. Source
  • Named Most Loved Workplace: The company was named 2025 and 2024's #1 Most Loved Workplace in America by the Best Practice Institute, after appearing on the list in 2022 and 2023. Source
  • Kids' meal donations reached $2.0M: A portion of each kid's meal is donated to community organizations and causes, with about $2.0 million raised to date. Source

Coming up, as management said on 24 February 2026

  • Planned 2026 restaurant openings: Management plans 59 to 63 new system-wide restaurants during fiscal 2026, including 3 company-owned closures. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Comparable sales Source3.1% in Q4 2025; 3.6% for 2025
Traffic Source-1.9% in Q4 2025; 0.5% for 2025
Store openings Source13 in Q4 2025; 64 in 2025
Store closings Source3 company-owned planned for fiscal 2026
Restaurant level operating profit margin Source19.0% in Q4 2025; 18.5% for 2025

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The company reiterated its long-term annual financial targets for unit growth, same-restaurant sales, restaurant sales and Adjusted EBITDA. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.