USC Village is welcoming a new restaurant, Bruxie. After the Sammiche Shoppe shuttered its doors and Honeybird flew the coop, USC Village will look to Bruxie to satisfy all its chicken and waffle needs.

Bruxie is a Southern California-based chain of restaurants known for its chicken and waffle sandwiches. Bruxie is hoping to open later this fall, said CEO and corporate manager Scott Grinstead in an interview with the Daily Trojan. Though there’s no official opening date yet, the store is practically ready to go.

“The city of [Los Angeles] has changed some of their opening processes that they’re still learning internally,” Grinstead said. “As soon as we get all the go-ahead, we’ll start to train, and once we start to train … it’ll be about 10 days.”

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Grinstead said that Bruxie wanted a location at USC because it has historically situated its locations near or within universities. Its very first location was built near Chapman University, and they’ve built many more near universities since then. 

“Bruxie and USC, to me, just kind of fit,” Grinstead said. “We are a concept that does very well with college students … We do great within universities. We do great with the age group, with the demographics and when you add to it that USC is just a great, iconic institution, it all fits perfectly.”

Bruxie had been looking to expand to even more universities this year, but they didn’t have an eye on USC. It wasn’t until USC reached out to Bruxie expressing interest that talks began. 

“We went and looked at a couple [storefronts], and it just all made sense to us,” Grinstead said. “It was a great call from them. It was actually our real estate brokers, and we met, and within half an hour of meeting, we all knew that it needed to come together.”

Bruxie hopes to appeal to college students by giving them a novel dining experience they haven’t had before, Grinstead said.

“We purchase high-quality ingredients,” Grinstead said. “It’s fried food, and it’s potatoes, and it’s butter. I’m not going to go as far to say [it]s] super healthy, but it’s high-quality, real food, real ingredients. We make our food in-house, daily from scratch, and you can really tell in the way it tastes.”

Evyn Ableson, a freshman majoring in journalism, has never had Bruxie before and is excited that another restaurant is opening in USC Village. Still, she felt the space could have been utilized better, she said. 

“It would be fun if there was some sort of activity other than physical fitness, like a movie theater,” Ableson said. “We have so many food options around campus. You can’t get enough food, but it would be cool to have some sort of recreational activity.”

Nike Taylor, a graduate student in the postsecondary administration and student affairs program, has also never been to Bruxie but thinks it could be a good addition to USC Village.

“It’s a variety from what’s in the Village already, and I hope the prices aren’t too bad because I want to try it out,” Taylor said. 

Bruxie will also be opening a location at UCLA. Grinstead looks forward to leaning into the rivalry between USC and UCLA. He encouraged students to make the USC Bruxie the more active location. 

“Come and try us,” Grinstead said. “Let us love on y’all a little bit and let you see how great the food is. We look forward to bringing a fried chicken alternative to that complex that’s never been seen before, and something that will be exceptional. We look forward to being part of the school and truly embracing the culture, and what makes USC, USC.”