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Two Clients, Two Architects and a First Watch

First Watch Dining Room Overview

Despite Challenges, Compo Team Completes Restaurant Build

Compo Construction Company recently completed building the newest First Watch restaurant in Hampton Roads. The 3,800 square foot, freestanding restaurant in Chesapeake’s Summit Pointe community, is open and serving up breakfast, brunch and lunch.

We broke ground in February of 2020, and worked with the developer, Summit Pointe Realty, and their architect to build the restaurant’s shell. When that was completed in September of 2021, a second contract was executed with First Watch, who had their own architect, to build out the interior. That work was completed in January of this year.

First Watch Street Facade

Working with multiple clients and architects is a common scenario for us. Working through the challenges of a pandemic was not. Like pretty much everyone else in the commercial construction space, we experienced delays in material procurement and increases in material costs during this project.

We also had to adapt to new protocols to keep the First Watch jobsite open and workers there safe. We followed Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) COVID-19 guidelines – including screening of all jobsite workers and mandatory masking – to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. This allowed us to continue work on the project.

We have a “no surprises policy” at Compo, so our team communicated with all project partners at every step about the delays, additional costs and changes to jobsite requirements.

If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s gorgeous, inside and out! See project photos.

Jimmy Heath, the First Watch project superintendent, has more than 40 years of construction experience – 18 of them at Compo. Along with project manager Kyle Ryder, Heath worked to ensure the transition between the first and second clients was smooth, and help all project partners on track to completion.

Whether typical or atypical, business as usual or a once-in-lifetime challenge, Compo’s partnership approach to projects allows us to consistently provide the best possible results.

Excellence in Commercial Construction

We excel when we work as part of a collaborative team with clients, architects, engineers and subcontractors. And the proof is in the number of high quality commercial construction projects we’ve delivered – 3,556 to date – and the 428 different client partners we’ve served, many of them repeat clients.

Compo Construction Company is a leader in retail and hospitality commercial construction in Hampton Roads. In addition to the First Watch project, we have delivered a ground up 2,500 sq ft Dunkin Donuts with drive through, and an 8,000 sq ft ground up retail buildout of a Taylor’s Do It Center. We have been a builder for Dollar Tree stores since 1994, completing over 300 projects in 12 states.

In Suffolk, we completed a 9,500 sq ft ground up construction of the Obici Shops for Venture Realty, which will include interior build-outs for Chartway Federal Credit Union and Jersey Mike’s.

Looking ahead, we’ll be working on The Railyard at Lambert’s Point in Norfolk, a ground up retail construction and historic renovation project.

See more of our completed and upcoming commercial construction projects in our Gallery