Elon Musk opened a diner in Hollywood. What could go wrong? I went to find out
The tech billionaire’s ‘retro-futuristic’ drive-in and Tesla charging station has long lines, plenty of glitches – and adoring fans
It was just before lunchtime on its third day of operation, and the line outside Elon Musk’s new Tesla Diner in Hollywood already stretched to nearly 100 people.
The restaurant has been billed as a “retro-futuristic” drive-in where you can grab a high-end burger and watch classic films on giant screens, all while charging your Tesla.
After months of buildup and controversy, the diner had suddenly opened on Monday, at 4.20pm, the kind of stoner boy joke that Musk is well-known for. Hundreds of fans lined up to try burgers in Cybertruck-shaped boxes, or take photos of the Optimus robot serving popcorn on the roof deck of the gleaming circular diner.
But that was for the grand opening. Less than 48 hours later, when we visited for lunch, the Tesla Diner experience was less a futuristic fantasy than a case study in how to fail with impunity. Many parts of the experience were breaking down, the food was mediocre, yet the fans were still cheerfully lining up to buy merch.
