The brand earned an Overall Score of 71.6 percent. Overall Scores are based on an average of scores on a variety of attributes, weighted by the importance that diners in that segment put on each attribute.

The breakfast and lunch chain ranked No. 10 out of 172 chains, from four segments, in the survey.

The Bradenton, Fla.-based chain has 140 locations, which are open only 7.5 hours a day. Medium volume stores in the system do about $1.2 million a year.

First Watch received the highest score among Family Dining chains in eight of 10 attributes: Food Quality, Value, Cleanliness, Service, Reputation, Craveability, Likely to Recommend and Likely to Return. Likely to Return and Likely to Recommend scores are the percentage of respondents saying they "definitely" or "probably" would revisit or recommend the restaurant. All other attribute scores reflect the percentage of respondents who said the chain was "outstanding" or "above average" in that area.

The company emphasizes employee and customer satisfaction and an easy-to-operate business model.

The brand's highest scores were 81.6 percent for Likely to Recommend and 79.9 percent for Food Quality. Franchisee Guillermo Perales said the restaurants' open kitchens provide transparency and help give the food a higher quality reputation.

The chain's next highest scores were 78.9 percent for Cleanliness, 75.5 percent for Reputation and 72.9 percent for Service, the highest scores among Family Dining chains on those attributes.

First Watch's lowest scores were 60.7 percent for Craveability and 60.6 percent for Value, but were still the highest in the segment. The chain also scored 62.3 for Atmosphere, 66.1 for Menu Variety, and 71.2 for Likely to Return.