Tesla CEO Elon Musk has recently injected new vitality into the Hollywood scene. With a perfect combination of gourmet food, entertainment, and ultra-fast charging, the Tesla Diner has attracted thousands of customers who can’t stop praising the experience.
On July 21st, Tesla officially opened its first restaurant in Hollywood that combines dining, movie-watching, and charging. The crowd immersed themselves in a blend of nostalgia and futuristic technology.
The all-day Tesla restaurant is located at the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Orange Drive, operating seven days a week without closing. The new restaurant offers delicious meals made from locally sourced ingredients, including freshly grilled burgers, tacos, homemade pies, beef-fat fried fries, ice cream sodas, maple bacon, and more.
On July 22nd, Musk posted on Twitter saying, “There should be more places like this.” The video he retweeted showed the venue packed with eager customers.
The next day, Musk continued to post on Twitter saying, “This is my first visit (to the Tesla charging restaurant), I was speechless, just could only say ‘Wow…’ – this is the future scene I imagined: charging my Tesla while enjoying a burger and a drink, plus an outdoor movie – all happening in this futuristic place surrounded by my favorite products and people.”
On the second day of the restaurant’s opening, 52-year-old Thor Laewe from Los Angeles arrived with his 14-year-old son Brandon in a Tesla, where they ordered burgers, fries, yogurt, and apple pie. They were impressed with the quick service and the delicious food.
“I love the food here,” Brandon said. “The burgers are the best, and you have to try the apple pie.”
“I really like it (Tesla charging restaurant),” Laewe said after the experience. “The design is futuristic yet nostalgic.”
Apart from delicious food, the restaurant also offers a large number of solar-powered electric vehicle fast charging stations and a unique entertainment experience.
The two-story circular building of the restaurant, with its silver-gray tones, resembles a floating UFO, like the next-generation “Jetsons” skyport. The restaurant has indoor and rooftop dining areas, and customers can watch movies and other entertainment programs on two 66-foot tall LED outdoor screens.
An Optimus robot was even arranged to help with popcorn and fist-bump customers. However, due to the large crowd, a “no contact” policy was later implemented.
On the day of the restaurant’s opening, Tesla posted on Twitter, saying, “The location features 80 V4 supercharging stalls, open to all compatible electric vehicles, making it the world’s largest urban supercharging station.”
Solar canopies also provide shading for the charging area on the west side, further reducing carbon emissions and making the charging process more sustainable.
The restaurant can accommodate over 250 customers. Despite long queues for ordering, the overall flow is fast.
Tesla has hired renowned chef Eric Greenspan from Los Angeles to design the menu, drawing inspiration from classic American diners with a variety of options from snacks to full meals.
The menu includes burgers, chili, fried chicken and waffles, sandwiches, all-day breakfast, side dishes, desserts, milkshakes, kombucha, coffee drinks, and “Charged Sodas” – a modified retro soda combining green coffee extract and ginseng.
All ingredients are sourced from local sustainable sources, with the names of partnering farms and artisan suppliers listed on the menu.
For example, beef-fat fried fries can be paired with chili and cheese; breakfast dishes use organic eggs from free-range chickens; kombucha is made from fresh organic ingredients from Oceanside, California; the ground beef in the burgers comes from Holstein cattle in Calipatria, California; the cheese used is cheddar, made with real cream and dairy products, without preservatives or fillers.
Moreover, the food is packaged in “Cybertruck” shaped boxes, and drinks come with eco-friendly wooden straws.
Customers do not need to tip separately – according to Eater, Tesla will distribute 20% of total revenue as tips directly to 140 staff members.
Louis and Vanessa Rodriguez from Texas also experienced the restaurant, with Louis finding the place cool and Vanessa stating that the food was average but the overall experience was worthwhile.
Musk mentioned on Twitter on opening day that the Hollywood restaurant could be just the starting point for Tesla across the United States. “If our nostalgic future-themed restaurant runs smoothly – which I believe will – then Tesla will establish more of these points in major cities and long-haul supercharging stations across the US.”
“A green energy charging haven that merges food, great ambiance, and entertainment!” Musk said.