Elon Musk’s long-awaited diner and drive-in opened Monday in Hollywood, California. And, although the venue didn’t open till 4:20 pm, clients have been lined up early to get in.
The Tesla Diner & Drive-In is many issues in a single. The venue features a diner, a drive-in film theatre, in addition to a charging station. It additionally manages to be each futuristic and retro, and it’s positively excessive.
Along with charging Teslas, clients can get pleasure from hamburgers, milkshakes, and different traditional diner meals which is available in Cybertruck-like containers. Two 45-foot LED film screens, which sync with Tesla audio system, hope to draw movie-goers to the scene.
In typical Musk-fashion, the venue appears a bit like a spaceship — maybe a touch that the expertise goals to be out of this world. There’s, after all, tons of Tesla-branded merchandise on website, in addition to an Optimus robotic. On Monday, a Cybertruck wrapped with DOGE automobile wrap was noticed parked at a charging station.
Simply earlier than the opening, Musk was already projecting the undertaking to be an enormous success. “If our retro-futuristic diner seems properly, which I feel it is going to, @Tesla will set up these in main cities all over the world, in addition to at Supercharger websites on lengthy distance routes,” the CEO posted on X.
Burgers are scorching, however Tesla gross sales—and Musk’s picture—are cooling
Whereas the strains of excited clients appeared to suggest pleasure over the opening, it’s powerful to overlook that it comes amid a good quantity of public scrutiny of the Tesla CEO. Musk’s work with DOGE, a company that facilitated mass layoffs and gutted funding for important organizations like Medicare and Medicaid, the Nationwide Institute of Well being, nationwide parks, and extra, has made him an much more polarizing determine than he already was.
Extra lately, Musk fell out of favor with President Trump, ensuing within the head of DOGE being ousted from his authorities function. A feud performed out publicly, with the 2 males posting pointed assaults on social media. Musk blasted Trump’s “massive, stunning invoice,” and simply weeks in the past, Trump mentioned he was even mulling doubtlessly deporting the Tesla CEO.
And, whereas Elon Musk himself has been the topic of tons of scrutiny over his work in DOGE, the function might have impacted the Tesla model, too. Tesla gross sales have slumped this 12 months, too. From April to June, gross sales fell to 384,122 — a greater than 13% drop from 443,956 in the identical interval final 12 months. Musk has acknowledged that gross sales have slumped however disregarded larger worries that the model is doomed. “The inventory wouldn’t be buying and selling close to all-time highs if issues weren’t in fine condition,” he mentioned whereas talking on the Qatar Financial Discussion board in Could.
Nonetheless, given the Hollywood location, the showiness of the venue, and the multi-purposed nature of the ability, shoppers may put apart their distaste for the CEO lengthy sufficient to get pleasure from it. Burgers, fries, and flicks usually are not exhausting sells, in spite of everything. The strains exterior of Musk’s new venue definitely present that persons are excited. Nonetheless, it’s exhausting to say whether or not the passion will maintain.
In April, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives slashed Tesla projections and famous on the time that Musk’s authorities work had executed irreversible injury to his model, including that Teslas usually are not only a automotive, however have “turn into a political image globally.”
