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News.com.au
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- News.com.au
New Tesla ‘retro-futuristic' diner could open in Australia soon
Tesla has officially opened it's highly anticipated diner in Los Angeles, which combines retro nostalgia with futurism and a version could be coming to Australia soon. Telsa CEO Elon Musk initially announced his plan to create a nostalgic drive-in restaurant, complete with roller skating and rock music, at Tesla supercharger locations in LA in 2018. Following his announcement, Tesla promptly filed a permit for the project. However the process has taken much longer than expected. Although Musk promised in 2023 that the diner would be open later that year, the restaurant chef – California food icon Eric Greenspan – wasn't revealed until earlier this year. The cool diner finally opened in LA on Monday (local time) to rave reviews. From videos published on YouTube and pictures on Musk's own X account, the stunningly aesthetic diner appears to be halfway between a flying saucer and a 1950s diner. This design aligns perfectly with Elon Musk's vision for the project when he first announced it seven years ago. According to Tesla's support page, the 24/7 Diner 'offers visitors a classic American diner experience with a retro-futuristic twist.' The Tesla Diner offers a convenient spot to grab comfort food, including burgers and fries (served in boxes shaped like Cybertrucks), as well as milkshakes, while charging a Tesla vehicle at one of 80 V4 supercharger stalls. Tesla software integration at its finest. As you are navigating to the Tesla Diner, a notification appears in your UI asking you if you want to order your food ahead of time so it’s ready on arrival. Everything about the Diner was so thoughtfully designed. Well done. — Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) July 22, 2025 Videos and photos posted on X by people who attended the soft launch over the weekend showed servers on rollerskates and the famous humanoid robot dubbed Optimus scooping popcorn. The official video on YouTube pays homage to both America's nostalgic past and it's 'optimistic future' in featuring an actor playing Olivia Newton-John's Sandy from Grease and a scene from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. In addition to being a restaurant, the diner also features a giant screen, allowing Tesla enthusiasts and customers to watch movie clips while charging their cars. However, it's also possible to watch clips from a Tesla's screen while it's charging. The diner features 80 V4 Supercharger stalls available for all NACS-compatible EVs, making it the largest urban Supercharger in the world, according to Tesla. If our retro-futuristic diner turns out well, which I think it will, @Tesla will establish these in major cities around the world, as well as at Supercharger sites on long distance routes. An island of good food, good vibes & entertainment, all while Supercharging! — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2025 If the diner succeeds, there could be plans for similar buildings to pop up globally, as Elon states on his social media platform. 'If our retro-futuristic diner turns out well, which I think it will, Tesla will establish these in major cities around the world,' Musk wrote on X.
Fast Company
20 hours ago
- Automotive
- Fast Company
Popcorn bots and ‘Electric Sauce': What to know about Elon Musk's Tesla Diner
Elon Musk's long-awaited diner and drive-in opened Monday in Hollywood, California. And, even though the venue didn't open until 4:20 pm, customers were lined up early to get in. The Tesla Diner & Drive-In is many things in one. The venue includes a diner, a drive-in movie theatre, as well as a charging station. It also manages to be both futuristic and retro, and it is definitely over the top. In addition to charging Teslas, customers can enjoy hamburgers, milkshakes, and other classic diner food which comes in Cybertruck-like boxes. Two 45-foot LED movie screens, which sync with Tesla speakers, hope to attract movie-goers to the scene. In typical Musk-fashion, the venue looks a bit like a spaceship — perhaps a hint that the experience aims to be out of this world. There is, of course, tons of Tesla-branded merchandise on site, as well as an Optimus robot. On Monday, a Cybertruck wrapped with DOGE vehicle wrap was spotted parked at a charging station. Just before the opening, Musk was already projecting the project to be a huge success. 'If our retro-futuristic diner turns out well, which I think it will, @Tesla will establish these in major cities around the world, as well as at Supercharger sites on long distance routes,' the CEO posted on X. Burgers are hot, but Tesla sales—and Musk's image—are cooling While the lines of excited customers seemed to imply excitement over the opening, it's tough to miss that it comes amid a fair amount of public scrutiny of the Tesla CEO. Musk's work with DOGE, an organization that facilitated mass layoffs and gutted funding for vital organizations like Medicare and Medicaid, the National Institute of Health, national parks, and more, has made him an even more polarizing figure than he already was. Subscribe to the Daily newsletter. Fast Company's trending stories delivered to you every day Privacy Policy | Fast Company Newsletters More recently, Musk fell out of favor with President Trump, resulting in the head of DOGE being ousted from his government role. A feud played out publicly, with the two men posting pointed attacks on social media. Musk blasted Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' and just weeks ago, Trump said he was even mulling potentially deporting the Tesla CEO. And, while Elon Musk himself has been the subject of tons of scrutiny over his work in DOGE, the role may have impacted the Tesla brand, too. Tesla sales have slumped this year, too. From April to June, sales fell to 384,122 — a more than 13% drop from 443,956 in the same period last year. Musk has acknowledged that sales have slumped but brushed off bigger worries that the brand is doomed. 'The stock wouldn't be trading near all-time highs if things weren't in good shape,' he said while speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in May. Still, given the Hollywood location, the showiness of the venue, and the multi-purposed nature of the facility, consumers may just put aside their distaste for the CEO long enough to enjoy it. Burgers, fries, and movies are not hard sells, after all. The lines outside of Musk's new venue certainly show that people are excited. Still, it's hard to say whether the enthusiasm will hold. In April, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives slashed Tesla projections and noted at the time that Musk's government work had done irreversible damage to his brand, adding that Teslas are not just a car, but have 'become a political symbol globally.'
The Guardian
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Cybertruck boxes and tacos: Elon Musk opens ‘retro futuristic' Tesla Diner in LA
In between Elon Musk's ill-fated role as a senior adviser to the president, running SpaceX and owning X, the world's richest person has taken on a new venture, opening the 'retro futuristic' Tesla Diner in Los Angeles. The business opened its doors in Hollywood at 4.20pm on Monday, offering a charging station, drive-in and a diner that serves, as Musk promised, 'classic American fare like burgers and milkshakes' and wagyu beef chili, breakfast tacos and 'iced nitro' matcha. Footage from the diner's opening showed robots serving popcorn, burgers served in Cybertruck-shaped boxes and episodes of Star Trek playing on the restaurant's large outdoor screens. Tesla fans lined up outside the diner for hours before its opening, with some traveling in from across southern California to attend and pulling up in Cybertrucks and Model Ys. 'I'm hoping the robot will be here. I really want to test out the bathroom, because we've seen cool pictures of the bathroom. But the chicken waffle sandwich is supposed to be good; the fries are supposed to be good,' one attendee told NBC News. Musk first announced the idea in 2018, pitching an 'old school drive-in, roller skates and rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in LA'. Construction on the two-story silver structure began in 2023, and was completed this year as Musk took an increasingly visible role in the Trump administration leading the so-called 'department of government efficiency', and overseeing mass layoffs in federal government. The site's first level is about 3,800 sq ft as well as an outdoor seating space and food prep area spread across 5,500 sq ft, according to Fox 11. Tesla owners can order food from their vehicles, according to the diner's website, and Musk has said the business will be open 24 hours a day to Tesla owners and non-owners alike. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The project has not been without controversy. Earlier this year two Los Angeles restaurateurs, the couple Walter Manzke and Margarita Manzke, were heavily criticized after speaking in support of the diner and Musk to the New York Times.
CNET
a day ago
- Automotive
- CNET
Eat Here and Get Recharged: Tesla Opens a Drive-in Diner
Table of Contents Eat Here and Get Recharged: Tesla Opens a Drive-in Diner Tesla has launched a retro-inspired drive-in diner that doubles as an electric vehicle charging station. The electric-vehicle company, known more for self-driving cars and its headline-making CEO Elon Musk, announced its drive-in diner at located at 7001 West Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood, California, is open for business. The place also serves as an electric vehicle charging station with 80 V4 Supercharger stalls, "making it the largest urban Supercharging station in the world," according to the diner's website. But while you wait, you can nosh on a cup of Waygu beef chili with the fam from the diner or the comfort of your vehicle (maybe save the chili for in-restaurant dining to avoid any nasty spills). You don't have to drive a Tesla to eat there -- the charger stalls are open to all NACS-compatible EVs -- but you do need your Tesla touchscreen to order ahead and see what's playing next on one of the two 66-foot LED megascreens the two-story diner sports. The diner touts a "retro-futuristic" menu, with a typical array of diner-inspired food, although at a premium price. Tech reporter Sawyer Merritt shared the menu prices, which include $13 for a hot dog and $15 for fried chicken and waffles. The diner is open 24 hours, offering breakfast options including breakfast tacos for $9 and avocado toast for $11. Musk said in a post on X that if the first foray proves a success, more diners could be coming to other cities around the world. CNET first reported in 2021 on Tesla's application for a patent for the Tesla name for use on goods and services, which included restaurants.
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Customers wait hours in line to check out Elon Musk's new Tesla Diner
Customers wait hours in line to check out Elon Musk's new Tesla Diner Lines wrapped around the block for the opening of California's new Tesla Diner, a futuristic drive-in diner with robot servers.
