This week, Tesla’s embattled CEO Elon Musk unveiled the first Tesla Diner, located on the famous Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles’ Media District.
The 24/7 outlet garnered quite a lot of buzz and has been described as a retro-futuristic diner meant to cater to Tesla owners in the region.
The place features two large 45-foot TVs, meant to show movies in the original drive-in style that was a major hallmark of the 20th century.
After World War II the concept of watching moving pictures from the comfort of your car was widely appreciated. Even right here in Kenya we had one at Belle-vue.
The notion, however, fizzled out over time as cars became more expensive to own, and movie theaters majorly shifted to indoor spaces to accommodate a larger number of people.
For the comfort of Tesla drivers, the diner has 80 charging stations consisting of V4 350kW superchargers, which are the fastest Tesla chargers on the market.
The supercharger can add 320 kilometers of range in just 20 minutes. The average American has a daily average commuting distance of less than 70 kilometers.
In addition, Tesla has kitted out the diner to custom Tesla spec; there are Tesla humanoid robots that are tele-operated and whip up and serve popcorn to the customers.
There is also a neo-futuristic glass display of a couple of the humanoid robots that evokes the sentiment of a Tesla Museum. The burger boxes are also shaped in the style of the Tesla Cybertruck, which is a new vehicle that the auto company launched into the market in late 2023.
The diner also seeks to carry a feel of authenticity, as all the food ingredients are locally grown and sourced from California. This is the automaker’s way of endearing itself to the local community as compared to large outlets that source industrial-grade manufactured products.
Tesla’s CEO was recently the lead at DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), where he gutted funding to many US government organizations.
In this role, he spearheaded the shutting down of USAID, which provided necessary relief support measures to much of the developing world, including being involved in Kenya’s fight against HIV and malaria.
The South African-born CEO went on a rampage accusing American president Trump of being explicitly mentioned in the Epstein files saga. Trump rebutted by threatening to cut the EV (Electric Vehicles) mandate, which benefits Tesla, and deporting Musk.
Tesla shares also took a tumble this year after reporting one of its worst quarters in over a decade. The bullfight that placed both men in the spotlight seems to have cooled down, for now.
Tesla confirmed that the Hollywood Diner is the first of many to come, but that is subject to the current political tensions the company finds itself in.
