Chris Tomasso promoted at Bradenton-based First Watch

BRADENTON -- Chris Tomasso had to have a lot of breakfasts before he joined the First Watch team.

Tomasso, 45, was born in Rhode Island but moved to Sarasota when he was just 9 years old. Years after attending college in Orlando and working in Nashville, he returned to Florida in 2006 to work for First Watch, a Bradenton-based company.

Since 2006, Tomasso has led the daytime cafe's marketing and strategic branding as their chief marketing officer. As of Jan. 1, he'll become president and wants to help the company continue to grow by keeping its standards, food and service consistent. The homegrown First Watch expanded from 42 restaurants in 2006 to 280 across the nation in 2015.

His path to president began when he was working in Nashville. Tomasso and his family came to Sarasota often enough for them to purchase a condo on Siesta Key. During those vacation visits, First Watch CEO Ken Pendery began recruiting him.

"We were coming down here for all holidays and any time I had free time, I had breakfast with Ken Pendery every time I came down," Tomasso said."

Pendery would more often than not bring another member of the First Watch team to meet and talk with Tomasso. After a while, Tomasso said, Pendery asked him about joining the company.

Before Tomasso made his way back to Florida's Gulf Coast, he spent years building a resume full of applicable experience.

During his last semester attending the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Tomasso landed an internship with the Orlando Magic. It was the year star player Shaquille O'Neal was drafted by the Magic and an exciting time for Tomasso. With a degree in public relations and advertising, he initially wanted a career in the sports and entertainment industry.

After a stint with the Sunshine Network, he went to work for an Orlando public relations firm. Eventually he was hired at Hard Rock Café. He was just 27 when he was hired and within six years became the vice president of worldwide marketing operations. He helped open restaurants in 42 countries and produced live and televised events.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store recruited Tomasso and he moved his family to Nashville. The vacation breakfasts with Pendery, along with a desire to bring his two children closer to their grandparents in Florida, prompted the family to move to the Sunshine State.

Tomasso's unique combination of restaurant, retail and marketing experience makes him a good fit for president of First Watch.

"Chris brings a unique combination of strategic brand vision and tactical operations knowledge, and he has served as a trusted advisor to me since he joined First Watch nearly 10 years ago," Pendery said a written statement. "He has always embraced our culture and has helped lead First Watch through years of brand evolution and aggressive growth. I'm confident that we will continue on the path to success and maintain our dynamic culture with Chris in this new role."

Tomasso will continue what's known in the company as "blocking and tackling."

"We still have a tremendous amount of space for growth and we also want to continue to refine the brand and build the brand and make it more relevant every day," Tomasso said. "We want to appeal to a wider customer base." Next steps include expanding into Philadelphia, where Tomasso said they've laid groundwork for opening restaurants.

"We will definitely open in Philadelphia in 2016 which will be a new market for us altogether," he said. Entering the southern part of a new market helps the company understand what's necessary for further expansion into the Northeast.

"If we're successful in Philadelphia, that opens the door and gate into New England," Tomasso said. "Just like Atlanta was important and Nashville was important to step out of Florida; we look at markets as real bellwethers for what we can do."

Janelle O'Dea, business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7095 or follow her on Twitter@jayohday.

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 1:21 PM with the headline "Chris Tomasso promoted at Bradenton-based First Watch ."