Tesla Puts Finishing Touches on Hollywood Charge-n-Diner

Tesla has almost finished building its diner, EV charging and drive-in movie mecca in Hollywood.

The Austin, Texas-based carmaker owned by Elon Musk is putting the final condiments on its national diner prototype at 7001 West Santa Monica Boulevard, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. An opening day was not disclosed.

Last month, it even picked out a “chef de cuisine,” L.A.-based chef Eric Greenspan, to oversee the cheeseburgers sizzling in the 1950s-style joint, in the works since 2017.

But while Angelenos line up around the block for In-N-Out Burger, will residents of the liberal-leaning city be seen hovering near a Musk-led eatery? Sales of his once-popular EV cars have plunged since the conservative CEO joined the administration of President Donald Trump.

At the same time, local Tesla drivers are wrestling with what the cars stand for — and if they want to be associated with the brand, according to the Los Angeles Times. That may include being seen idling in front of a new Tesla Diner.

The two-story diner, designed by Canada-based Stantec, is the visual showpiece of the project at Santa Monica Boulevard and Orange Drive.

The restaurant, topped by rooftop seating and lunch counters below, will be surrounded by 30 charging stalls and two drive-in two movie screens and a rooftop bar. Ground-level carhops will serve patrons who order ahead from their cars.

The Hollywood location, formerly a Shakey’s Pizza, holds historical significance along Route 66.

The new diner may serve as a prototype for deluxe Tesla charging stations which, if successful, would be rolled out in other cities across the country. The model could pioneer a new retail category: charge-and-dine stations.

But they won’t have L.A.’s Greenspan, a Le Cordon Bleu alum and Patina veteran who in 2007 launched his Californian-French restaurant, the Foundry on Melrose, which is now defunct. He went on to open multiple restaurants and eventually founded Alt/Grub/Faction, a collection of ghost kitchens that create order-in grub.

He also developed New School American Cheese, a product that’s currently served on burgers and sandwiches across Los Angeles.

But when asked about the new Tesla Diner, he backed away, as if distancing himself from the Tesla brand.

“I’m not sure there’s that much to talk about,” Greenspan told the Times.

— Dana Bartholomew