Innovative Grounds Coffee

Cute name and convenient… you don’t have to go outside the PTO to get a latte or a cup of gelato but the good things stop there. This is a Sodexo production and you will be reminded of that with your first sip (or bite) of «unremarkability,» or worse…“dang I gotta pour this out and go to Starbucks.” Still, with ample seating choices of couches, tables downstairs, and leathery seats upstairs near the «museum» and library/​search facility, I have succumbed more than once on a snowy frigid day. It makes me feel like I have options… even though it is an illusion. If you aren’t that picky, it might work for you.

Just a coffee/​drink/​snack stand housed underneath a staircase at the USPTO building, Innovative Grounds works as a decent coffee stop on your way to a meeting, between errands, etc.
They serve Mayorga coffee here, which I felt was a little on the bitter & darker side for my taste especially as far as iced coffee goes. However, there are very little to no waiting lines here and the service is pretty fast & efficient as compared to the overactively visited Starbucks around the corner near John Carlyle square (or circle?).
It looks like a 7-​Eleven is currently being built across the street which will eventually give this place a bit more competition in the future, but it’s hard to beat the convenience and efficiency of this corner coffee place!
There is ample seating in the open atrium lobby as well as free WiFi :) And if smoothies are more your thing, they happen to also serve up Jamba Juice blends! Win-​win :)