First Watch is planned for 1000 W. Princeton Drive in Princeton, with a $900,000 restaurant finish-out outlined in a new state filing. The project covers 4,000 square feet and includes new interior finishes, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, plus exterior patio railing. Construction is estimated from January 10 through May 19, 2028.
That puts this breakfast-and-brunch prospect farther down the road, but the concept is easy to picture: a table split between someone ordering pancakes and someone insisting on eggs, with bacon tempting both sides.
First Watch puts daytime dining first
The company’s published history traces its start to Pacific Grove, California, in 1983, with John Sullivan and Ken Pendery. Its identity centers on breakfast, brunch, and lunch—a restaurant built around the morning and midday meal rather than dinner service.
That focus leaves room for both familiar breakfast plates and sweeter, more elaborate choices. For a group with different appetites, the appeal is having several directions to take without changing restaurants.
Pancakes, bacon, and the sweet-or-savory debate
The current First Watch menu includes Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Million Dollar Bacon, avocado toast, Belgian waffles, and French toast. Its pancake imagery shows berries and lemon curd, a combination that gives the breakfast staple a bright, dessert-like turn.
Avocado toast offers another route, while waffles and French toast keep the classic brunch choices in play. These are examples of the brand’s current offerings; the Princeton menu and prices have not been announced for the future location.
First Watch joins plans for a growing retail destination
SHOP Companies’ leasing page lists Princeton Town Center at 1000 W. Princeton Drive, matching the restaurant filing. The development sits at the northwest corner of U.S. 380 and Beauchamp Boulevard.
The city’s project page describes a 66-acre retail center. In a separate July 2026 announcement, Princeton reported the groundbreaking for a Kroger Marketplace there, with that store anticipated to open in late 2027.
The restaurant proposal adds a daytime dining option to that broader shopping destination. Its own schedule is separate from the grocery store and other tenants, so the center’s development should not be read as a single opening date for every business.
What the 2028 dates mean
TDLR registration TABS2027000785 describes a first-generation tenant upfit inside a shell building. The patio railing is the limited exterior work identified in the scope; patio size and seating counts are not provided.
The January–May 2028 window is an estimated construction schedule. A company-confirmed grand-opening date for First Watch in Princeton has not been verified.