Trojan Grounds

Really bad attitude. Very rude. I said «light ice» for my caramel latte, and the employee asked if I want it hot. Seriously?! I said «Iced. Light ice» again. She then rolled eyes on me. I also had to correct her spelling of my name. It’s not the first time I saw the employees treating people like this. Today it was my turn.

The drinks are great, but the server, «Sue» seemed a little rude to me when I ordered my drink. Some constructive feedback would be to maybe try to improve on her customer service skills because she definitely did not make me feel welcomed in the Starbucks. And I understand that we all might have bad days, but I don’t know if it was the way I ordered or what, but she chose to make my drink last after the 4 people who ordered after me. Mind you, I consider myself a very calm & coolheaded person, & I just got the feeling she did this on purpose. And then she called everyone else’s name out loud when their drinks were ready, & luckily I was watching when my drink was finished because she just placed it to the side & silently mumbled my drink order. If I wasn’t paying attention, I’m sure my drink would have stayed sitting there & she wouldn’t have said anything else. That’s my only critique. If you love overpriced coffee & tea & long waits (unless you get there before 7:30am) then this place is highly recommended

The worsttttt. Can this place even be considered a Starbucks? Someone from Starbucks corporate seriously needs to check this location cause I’m pretty sure it’s mismanaged.
I can’t begin to name how many times I’ve been rudely treated by the workers here. I had to ask the lady for a cup of water 3 times and she tried to pretend not to hear me while she was just standing there. The gift card system was down for nearly HALF A YEAR and even when they claimed it was fixed, it was still broken. There have been one too many times where I waited 20+ minutes in line only to be turned away at the register for the gift card system being broken. The mark-​up on snacks is ridiculous and the line moves excruciatingly slow.
But like most, I still come here… but that’s only when I’m desperate.

I have a love/​hate relationship with this place, which I frequent quite regularly for the Starbucks. Even using the Tapingo app, orders take at least 10 minutes to make and it’s a mess trying to get in there and get your order. The drinks aren’t as good as other Starbucks locations, and I attribute that to the sheer craziness of this location — it’s always packed. They do have a lot of snacks and food options, though, so if you’re willing to wait in the line (10+ minutes), then it’s an okay option if you want something faster than the food court. Another thing to note– it may be all in my head, but any time I get tea or hot water here, my stomach isn’t right afterwards. :\

The absolute worst service! The line is always out the door and yet they only used one cash register (despite having more). Be prepared to wait in line for 30 min no matter what you buy. And everything is super overpriced. Get it together USC

Lines are too long and never enough staff. Maybe it’s better at 3a because at 6p, there were 2 baristas present and a line out the door.

The lines can get kind of ridiculous here. It’s overpriced and the customer service is lacking at times. The only pros to Trojan grounds are the undeniable convenience (because it is so close to many of the freshman dorms, parking structures and leavey library) and that it is now essentially a Starbucks.

Worst service on campus! I had tried to go there since freshman year because of its convenient location. But every time, they managed to mess up my orders! Finally gave up, and just get my coffee at Coffee Beans instead.

3 stars for plenty of snacks (especially great for late nights) and to-​go meals like wraps and sushi, but only 3 stars because the wait here is ridiculously long and the staff never seems to be in a good mood. Plus, I recently visited and they weren’t able to accept by Starbucks rewards card because their machine was down, which is just frustrating — gotta get those stars!
My #1 tip would be to text in your drink order — those that do seem to get theirs much faster than those who order at the register.
Worth stopping by if you need a study break and are willing to wait, but otherwise go to any of the other coffee/​snack locations on campus or the Starbucks on Figueroa.

For a place managed by USC, this place has a lot of work to do. I understand that lines get pretty long and drinks get backed up, but that does not call for angry workers. On several occassions already, I have either experienced or heard about an instance where a worker told a student to «calm down» after they asked for their drink. Many of us use an app called Tapingo for ordering our drinks and we expect them to be ready. If they are not ready, we will naturally ask how long it will take to make it. But it is completely uncalled for a TroGro worker to snap back at students.
The food here is as good as it gets for those late nights at Leavey but the service here needs a lot of work. Either talk to those who are working busy shifts to be more understanding/​professional or hire more people because if this continues, it will only bring down the Starbucks name.

Trojan Grounds– or TroGro, as it’s better known– is conveniently located on campus, which is why the line is always out the door. If you don’t use Tapingo (which I recommend doing!), you will be waiting for your Starbucks for at least 40 minutes during rush hours. However, TroGro is open 24 hours and accepts dining and discretionary dollars which is great for USC students, especially freshmen.
Along with Starbucks, TroGro offers some snacks like Cheez Its and Granola bars and sub-​par sandwiches and sushi– only good if you’re in a hurry. They also recently added some outdoor seating outside of Leavey which is a nice place to sit and enjoy your drink or snack. I come to TroGro only if I’m desperate, really. I used to come here for free ice water but recently they’ve been charging $ 0.25 for cups and the line just takes too long. Go to the Starbucks on Fig or by Pizza Studio!

The line and wait here are just ridiculous.
I’ve been to equally busy places that manage to quickly make and hand out drinks. The employees at TroGro are friendly, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that it takes 20+ minutes for a plain iced latte. On top of that, they mess up orders pretty often. Tapingo should help, but generally it doesn’t. My friend ordered a latte the other day using Tapingo and got a completely different drink.
The drink quality is subpar as well, and after combining that with the wait times and order mistakes, I’d recommend just going to the Starbucks across the street.

WOW. Where do I start? First off, the line is never-​ending. We’re students that are in a rush to get to class, but if we want Starbucks, we gotta wait 30 minutes or so for it. So when I finally got to the front, I ordered my caramel macchiato and my cookie. My drink took forever, as usual, and when I went to pick up my cookie, they forgot to warm it. So they, VERY slowly, put it in the oven.
When it was finally done, they crumbled my cookie with the spatula transferring it from the oven to its bag. I started laughing because I couldn’t believe how ridiculous the situation was, but I was stressing out because I was going to be late to class. They threw the cookie away and heated another one, which took another 2 minutes of my time. I was almost ready to leave because how much was that cookie really worth?
I would give them 1.5 stars if I could because there is one lady who works there who is always smiling and very kind, but she’s a slow worker like the rest of them, so I won’t bump my rating to 2 stars just because of her.

TroGro, as it’s known, had me covered for many long nights in the library. I came here periodically for Goldfish, Reese’s Pieces, and other salty snacks, as well as Powerade, and they had what I wanted. TroGro is really close to many freshman dorms, including Pardee and Birnkrant. so if you need a snack late at night, this place’s got you covered. It’s also right next to Leavey Library, providing for snack breaks. The prices are probably inflated but they’re not completely absurd.
Looking back, I sure didn’t eat healthy freshman year. I wish they’d had less artery-​clogging options (even reduced-​fat crackers /​cookies /​chips), and pushed people toward those.

Although the signage indicates that it’s a Starbucks, the café within Trojan Grounds is just Starbucks «licensed.» From what I was told, this means:
— no birthday freebie
— no Starbucks rewards processing
They will except your Starbucks gift cards, though.
If you plan on getting a brew during «rush hour,» make sure you leave enough time to wait in line (or perhaps swing by the Coffee Bean in the student center).

This place always has a line out the door, but they use the Tapingo app, which when planned out well, can reduce the wait time significantly. I recently placed a Tapingo order and stopped in five minutes after my order was supposed to be ready. As I was waiting for service, I received a text saying my order was cancelled because they were out of what I ordered (I ordered coffee with a shot of espresso). When I told the manager my order had been cancelled, he told me that I should have received a text. I told him I did, but I should have received the notice they were out of something before I left where I was studying to come get my coffee that was supposed to be ready for me when I got there. He just shrugged and walked away.
The Tapingo app works well for every other business on campus that partners with it, and to be clear, this is not a corporate Starbucks. I doubt they care that they lost my business, since they will always have students lining up for coffee, but I’d rather walk a bit further to a Coffee Bean or a real Starbucks than go here again.

This place is awful! I was tricked into coming here on the first day of classes because I had 45 minutes to spare and I saw the Starbucks signage above the door. Don’t be fooled. This coffee shop may sell Starbucks beverages but nothing here is even remotely reminiscent of Starbucks-​quality drinks or service.
Yes, I may have had 45 minutes to spare before my class but I spent a good 30 minutes of it waiting in a LONG line that stretched out the door. Determined to get my cup of joe, I waited… and waited. Finally, I reached the cashier and I thought «SALVATION!» only to be told to wait again while she fumbled to punch in my gold card number in the register. That’s right, they do and can accept the Starbucks gold card but the number must be individually entered into the register. I felt bad for holding up the line so I decided to pay for my iced soy latte with cash.
I waited another 5 minutes for my coffee (cutting it close to class start time now) and was on my way. Too bad my soy latte at Trojan Grounds was one of the worst soy lattes I’ve ever had. :(

Yes… service is slow, but hey, they’re open 24-​hours!
As the only starbucks on campus, trojan grounds is my prime choice every day I go into class. Classes at 8am are brutal and EVERYONE is trying to get their caffeine fix. I normally have to get there at least 15mins early to get to class on time at 8am.
The plus:
–if you go regularly, the staff will remember you and know your order by heart
–with your USC student card you get tax taken off
–they’re wiling to work with you and customize as need, but it will equate to a longer wait time.
–bring in your own cup and save $.10
–they do have a wide selection of pastries and what not, so if you forgot breakfast, have them make you a bagel.
The bad:
–there will always be a line
–dont go in between breaks
–sometimes they might mix up your orders due to the huge amount of orders. So just let them know if they get something wrong.
Overall, I don’t have too much to complain about. It’s on campus, it convenient, and they’re open all the time.

Bottom line at the top: Oh Trogo. Quintessential late night spot to get snacks and coffee after excessive studying at Club Leavey.
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The only 24 hour food option on this marvelous campus, so pay your dues freshmen. Without a car this place is your saving grace. Remember that petition that had to go around to keep this place open 24 hours?! Yeah.

They totally redid Tro Gro. When I was a freshman it was pretty run down and weirdly laid out so it was difficult to get in/​out or get in line to pay. Now it’s more open but it still gets really crowded during peak hours –_​_​– I think this is because they added a legit Starbucks so now everybody is here!
They have a large selection of bottled drinks and snack foods as well as the normal Starbucks menu. The baristas are nice but SUPER SLOW… it takes forever to get your drink so you usually have to awkwardly try to stand out of the way while you wait… unfortunately the line gets long quick so it gets uncomfortably crowded. I only come here early in the morning when the freshies are still asleep haha oh and I can use my discresh $ for Starbucks here. Yay!