Firebirds in Upper Providence and First Watch in Audubon (Credit: Google Maps Street View)
National chains with local presence praised for food safety; both continue to grow customer base and revenues
Two national casual-dining chains with locations in Upper and Lower Providence townships scored perfect or near-perfect Montgomery County food safety inspection reports last month.
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, at 51 Town Center Drive, in the Providence Town Center shopping district in Upper Providence Township was dinged for debris on the floor of the walk-in freezer, but otherwise, no food items or food handling was affected, according to the county. It holds a 4.4/5 star rating on Google Reviews from 1,542 customers.
Over in Lower Providence Township, First Watch Café at 721 S. Trooper Road in the Audubon section of the township had no violations during the time of inspection. It has a 4.4/5 star rating on Google Reviews, from 910 customers.
Both restaurants were inspected April 9.
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill is owned by Garnett Station Partners, which, when acquired in 2023, was the second purchase of the company in four years. Firebirds was founded 23 years ago in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has expanded to 56 locations across 20 states, according to its website. Garnett also invests in Primanti Bros., Mambo Seafood, P.J. Whelihan’s, Kona Ice and Carrols Restaurant Group, the largest franchisee of Burger King.
Firebirds offers three-course meals, dinner, lunch, children’s fare, weekend brunch options, catering, and its branded FIREBAR menu. Check out all menus here.
First Watch Café offers fresh, made-to-order breakfast, brunch and lunch. It has a juice bar, healthy options, vegetarian and vegan options, salads, sandwiches and a children’s menu.
See the Audubon location menu here.
First Watch Restaurants, founded in 1983, is based in Bradenton, FL and has locations across five continents, including Europe and Asia. As of April 2025, the company has raised $158 million in funding. The last funding round occurred Nov. 12, 2024 for $158 million, according to its website. First Watch’s annual revenue is $5 billion as of April 2025.
Firebirds is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Brunch runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Happy Hour is 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays. Call them at 484-902-1850. Its website has online ordering and reservation links.
First Watch is open 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily. Call them at 610-510-2121. It offers online ordering and dine-in.
