Tesla Diner | |
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![]() The Tesla Diner in 2025 | |
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Restaurant information | |
Established | July 21, 2025 |
Chef | Eric Greenspan |
Food type | American |
Street address | 7001 Santa Monica Blvd |
City | Los Angeles |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 34°05′27″N 118°20′30″W / 34.0909°N 118.3418°W |
Seating capacity | 250+ |
Website | tesla |
The Tesla Diner is a restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles operated by Tesla, Inc. It includes a drive-in theater and 75 V4 Supercharger stalls.[1] It opened on July 21, 2025.[2]
History
[edit]
Elon Musk first announced the concept for the diner in 2018,[3] and in 2023 confirmed Tesla would build a diner in Los Angeles which he described as being "Grease meets Jetsons with Supercharging."[4] Tesla initially applied for a building permit at a lot located at 1401 Santa Monica Boulevard on the corner of 14th Street in Santa Monica.[5] In 2022, it was announced it would be located at the site of a former Shakey's Pizza in Hollywood.[6] The location is on the historic Route 66.[7]
The building was designed by the architecture firm Stantec. The silver two story building has a space age design in the shape of a flying saucer.[8] It features a restaurant, two movie screens, and charging stations for electric vehicles.[5] In March 2025, longtime Los Angeles chef Eric Greenspan was announced as the restaurant's head chef.[1][9]
Two weeks after opening, the restaurant reduced its menu to a smaller selection of items, and limited its 24-hour service only to those charging Tesla vehicles between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.[10]
Reception
[edit]Jennifer A. Kingson, writing in Axios, said the restaurant may serve as a national blueprint, starting a new retail category of charge-and-dine restaurants.[11] Gab Chabran, writing in LAist, said that Musk was looking to capitalize on the distinctive West Coast diner culture rooted in classic cars and cruising.[12] Matt Novak, writing in Gizmodo, said that "I hate that I love it. And I really wish anyone else but Musk was building it right now."[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "L.A. chef picked to run Tesla diner in Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. March 28, 2025. Archived from the original on 2025-04-09. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
- ^ X (2025-07-21). "Tesla fans line up to get into the long-awaited Tesla Diner in Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
- ^ Elliott, Farley (January 8, 2018). "Elon Musk wants to build a retro carhop restaurant with Tesla charging stations". Eater LA. Archived from the original on May 23, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Wells, Pete (2025-03-21). "Elon Musk Gets Ready to Enter the Restaurant Business". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2025-05-02. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
- ^ a b Holmes, Mona (March 24, 2025). "Everything You Need to Know About Elon Musk's Tesla Restaurant in Hollywood". Eater LA. Archived from the original on May 20, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Rozier, Alex (July 14, 2022). "Recharge and Eat Up: Tesla Diner and Charging Station to Replace Shakey's Pizza in Hollywood". Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Batey, Eve (2025-03-29). "Elon Musk Will Subject His Notoriously Thin Skin To Restaurant Critics". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 2025-05-20. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
- ^ Palmer, Karen. "Elon Musk left the Trump admin. Next up: Making burgers in LA". Archived from the original on 2025-07-03. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
- ^ Wells, Pete (2025-03-27). "Tesla Finds a Chef for Its Retro-Futuristic Diner in Los Angeles". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2025-05-27. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
- ^ Kang, Matthew. "Just Two Weeks In, Tesla Diner Already Axed Most of Its Menu". Eater.com. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ Kingson, Jennifer A. (2023-11-13). "Tesla's drive-in restaurant is finally taking shape". Axios. Archived from the original on 2025-04-05. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
- ^ "The Tesla diner may be coming, but our homegrown SoCal diners still rule". LAist. May 21, 2025. Archived from the original on May 30, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Novak, Matt (October 25, 2024). "I Hate the Tesla Drive-In Because It Looks So Damn Cool". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on February 9, 2025. Retrieved July 11, 2025.