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First Watch Restaurant Group announced the termination of chief operations officer Dan Jones as part of restructuring of the company’s operations structure. With his departure, the company’s operations leadership will report directly to president and chief executive officer Chris Tomasso. 

In a filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, First Watch thanked Jones for his “substantial contributions during a transformation period for the company” and wished him well. 

Jones joined First Watch in 2021, according to his LinkedIn page. Prior, he served as COO at CAVA. He started his career as store manager at Starbucks and worked his way through various roles at the coffee chain, including regional director of operations. 

His departure comes on the heels of First Watch’s fourth quarter and full-year report last month, including 3.6% same-store sales growth in 2025, with positive same-restaurant traffic.

The company also recently rolled out a new core menu to all restaurants, adding popular seasonal items and removing low-performing items. This marks its first significant redesign and reengineering of the menu in almost 10 years, Tomasso said. 

Notably, chief financial officer Mel Hope announced his planned retirement last month but will stay on board until a successor is in place. He also plans to stay on as an adviser until the end of 2026.

Contact Alicia Kelso at Alicia.Kelso@informa.com

Follow her on TikTok: @aliciakelso