On Nov. 4, students gathered at the new Sweetgreen in the USC Village to celebrate the restaurant’s grand opening, featuring free merch and cookies, a performance from The Trojan Marching Band and a special appearance from Tommy Trojan.
The salad chain hosted a “soft-launch” in the Village on Nov. 1 and 2, offering free bowls and early access to the restaurant to students who registered for the event.
The line for the grand opening stretched all the way to Sunlife Organics before the doors officially opened at 10 a.m. Team members handed out extra merch for those waiting in line, including Sweetgreen-branded hats and socks.
Kaci Lewen, a first-year law student, was the first person in line. She arrived on campus early to study with a friend and noticed the lack of a crowd. Around 9:30 a.m., the pair decided to start a line, and soon after, other students followed.
“I honestly love Sweetgreen,” Lewen said. “I’m glad that we have another convenient, healthy option in the Village.”
Lewen, who likes to make her salads at home, thinks that Sweetgreen offers a better alternative to the bowls served at Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC).
“I think the TCC prices are really high for what I don’t think tastes super amazing,” Lewen said. “I also think for a convenience aspect when you just want something quick and healthy that is similar pricing to Cava next door.”
Jacie Yogi, a freshman biopharmaceutical sciences student, mainly eats at the dining hall because she receives unlimited swipes. However, she decided to make an exception for the grand opening.
“I’ve been to Sweetgreen once before, and it was pretty good,” Yogi said. “I was interested in the free stuff, actually, and I think they advertised it pretty well on Instagram.”
According to “head coach” Shirley Duong — Sweetgreen’s term for general managers — this location is semi-automated, and is designed to reduce wait times. While this model has been introduced in other Sweetgreen locations, Duong said this is the first location in L.A. that will use the technology.
The “Infinite Kitchen” machines featured at this location assemble the bowls automatically, while team members focus on food preparation and adding finishing touches to orders.
“It helps make sure that we are able to provide students with fast service,” Duong said. “The last couple of weeks I’ve been seeing lines out of Dulce and Cava. We love that, but we want to make sure that students are getting it fast so they can go back to studying or go back to class. I know some students have very few breaks before they have to go to their next class.”
Lewen said she was surprised by how quickly her order was ready.
“I just ordered it on the iPad, right when I walked in, and it said ready in three to six minutes, and it was literally ready in three minutes, which is kind of crazy,” Lewen said. “And it’s a warm bowl that looks really good, so I’m optimistic.”
Cora Fisher, a junior studying gerontology, discovered Sweetgreen after hearing it was coming to the Village.
“It’s so popular,” said Fisher. “I think there’s also a lot of buzz around it, like it’s been a long time coming.”
Ezra Avery, a senior economics major, said he is a huge fan of Sweetgreen and has anticipated the opening since its first announcement in February.
“I’ve been waiting for them to come here for so long,” said Avery. “I get a crispy rice bowl with broccoli. The broccoli is really good, so add that.”
Sweetgreen will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.