Under Pendery's leadership, the breakfast
& brunch brand grew successfully from one California restaurant to more than 520
nationwide
BRADENTON, Fla., March 5,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- His bold words are plastered on
the walls of the Florida-based
restaurant company's Home Office and serve as a constant reminder
and permanent edict from the beloved hospitality leader: "Culture
is integrity. It's honesty. It's respect."
First Watch announced today that co-founder and longtime leader
Ken Pendery passed away on
March 4, 2024, after a battle with
Multiple System Atrophy, a rare neurological disorder. He was
70.
Pendery retired from the company's board of directors in 2022
after 38 years with the breakfast, brunch and lunch concept. During
his extensive and influential tenure, he and co-founder
John Sullivan moved the company's
operations from California to the
Gulf Coast of Florida in the
mid-1980s.
Pendery assumed the role of CEO in the late '90s. During his
time at the helm, First Watch grew from about 50 restaurants in
1998 to more than 330 in 2018, when he transitioned from CEO to
executive chairman. After working together for 12 years, successor
and current CEO and President Chris
Tomasso continued the successful expansion to more than 450
restaurants by the time Pendery stepped down from the board of
directors four years later. Today, First Watch operates more than
520 restaurants in 29 states.
"Ken's impact and influence is – and will forever be – felt
throughout our organization," said Tomasso. "He was a mentor and
dear friend, and the epitome of the 'You First' culture our company
is built upon. Everyone who crossed his path is better for it. Our
hearts go out to his family, and we will carry his memory
fondly."
Regarded as a beloved leader and dear friend, Pendery cared
deeply about the value of trust, humility, doing the right thing
and having only the highest of standards. He instilled in each new
leader their crucial and primary responsibility: company culture.
Pendery was adamant that the behaviors of just one person can
strengthen and embolden a culture or destroy it, and he found it
his mission to protect the integrity of culture.
Today, Pendery's legacy lives on through First Watch's "5 Steps
of Service," first written on the back of a napkin in 1987, and his
10 Commandments (now "Commitments"). Beginning with "Welcome with
warmth" and ending with "Act with infectious positivity," the
tenets are actively trained and practiced in each restaurant.
Pendery is survived by his wife, Jenny; two children,
Trey (Maureen) and Libby (Kevin); and four grandchildren, Woods,
Nora, Sita and Red. A private service will take place later this
month.
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SOURCE First Watch Restaurants, Inc.