First Watch Restaurant Group Inc. has announced the promotion of Rob Conti to chief information officer, the company said Wednesday.
The Bradenton, Fla.-based First Watch said Conti joined the company in 2019. He previously served as senior vice president of information technology.
“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,” Chris Tomasso, First Watch CEO and president, said in a statement.
“He made our systems more sophisticated and our processes more seamless. Everything he does is through the eyes of our operators, employees and customers, ensuring even our IT delivers on our ‘You First’ commitment,” Tomasso added.
Conti has overseen the delivery of key company systems, including the development of a business intelligence platform, a cyber security program, a pay at the table solution, and kitchen display systems.
Before joining First Watch, Conti spent more than 18 years at Hard Rock International in various information technology leadership roles. He also spent more than 10 years with The Walt Disney Co. in restaurant operations.
Conti said: “Having spent over 35 years in hospitality, it is part of my DNA to manage and support technology in our space.”
First Watch has more than 535 restaurants in 29 states.
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