8 Secret-Menu Ground Zero Items You Must Try (+ BONUS ANNOUNCEMENT)
By Judy Lee ‘17
There’s no argument: Ground Zero Performance Café is hands-down one of the centerpieces of USC culture. With late night hours, weekly performances, a delicious assortment of milkshakes and teas—it’s the place to have a study session, talk to a crush, catch up on life, and find refuge from the flurry of college life.
If you’re anything like me, I’ve been having the same type of milkshake a little too frequently. When I find something phenomenal, I latch on for dear life.
But what if I told you that there’s more to the beloved café than meets the eye?
You’ve probably heard of the secret menu on a number of occasions, but do you actually know what’s on it? To start you on your journey of shaking it up (pun SO intended) at GZ, here are 8 secret menu items you MUST try (and a bonus announcement after):
1. Makeout Shake
Tastes like: MY FAVORITE. It’s strawberry Pocky in milkshake form with just the right amount of Oreo chunks.
o White Chocolate
o Strawberries
o Oreos
2. The Absent Father
Tastes like: Creamy chocolate with a hint of fruity.
o Chocolate powder
o Desert pear
o Oreo
3. Apple Pie Shake
Tastes like: A cold apple pie. It gets tarty depending on how much cider your barista uses, but still has maintains the blend of piecrust creaminess.
o Cookies
o Cinnamon
o Honey
o Martinelli’s Apple Cider
4. Nutter Butter Shake
Tastes like: Actually tastes like liquefied Nutter Butters. Like a Happy Fortune shake, but with peanut butter.
o Chocolate chip cookies
o Cinnamon
o Honey
5. The Andes
Tastes like: Post-Olive Garden. It has the minty flavor, the chocolate, and the satisfaction of having them together.
o Oreos
o Chocolate powder
o Chocolate syrup
o Malt
o Green Mint
6. The Gravity Shake
Tastes like: A campfire in an igloo. A yummy post-Cocoa-Puffs-milk kinda feel.
o Toasted Marshmallow
o Oreos
o Chocolate powder
7. The Sandy Cheeks
Tastes like: Butterscotch candy blended with whipped cream blended with sunshine.
o Butterscotch
o Cinnamon
o Honey
8. The Bleeding Heart Squishie
Tastes like: a refreshing frozen Sprite with some fruity additions:
o Sprite slushy
o Desert pear
o Raspberry
o Pomegranate
And of course, you can’t NOT check out their Not-So-Secret Menu:
9. Snacks and pastries
o Pastries from Homeboy Industries
o Action bars and cookies (select are gluten-free and all are vegan!)
10. Ready brewed iced teas…Lemonades…and ready brewed iced teas with Lemonade! Arnold Palmers and Lemonades served at GZ!
For all of you bored with Lemonade’s 4 flavors, this announcement is BIG NEWS! Here are the new ready brewed teas that became available at GZ last week:
Awesome, huh? Make sure to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and Instagram for updates on seasonal items, performances, and new shake options!
A shout out and big thank you to Ground Zero manager Alex Friedl for filling me in on some information!
