{"id":1056,"date":"2026-03-14T13:13:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T13:13:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/?p=1056"},"modified":"2026-03-14T13:14:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T13:14:04","slug":"the-tesla-two-story-diner-experiment-s-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/the-tesla-two-story-diner-experiment-s-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"THE TESLA TWO STORY DINER EXPERIMENT IS DEAD!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LA’s Tesla Diner is so dead, even the protesters gave up<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

Just eight months in, not even the tech bros are eating there<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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The exterior of the Tesla Diner as seen from Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 12, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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On a recent midday visit to the Tesla Diner<\/a>, Elon Musk\u2019s two-story Space Age eyesore of a restaurant in West Hollywood<\/a>, the soundtrack modulated between modern dance tunes and classics like the Beatles. But it may as well have been the sound of crickets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sure, there were about a dozen cars parked in the surrounding charging stations while an animated film played on the two giant movie screens. A handful of diners were inside, seated at the long, curved bar or at gray-and-white retro-futuristic booths, trying the fried chicken sandwiches and other diner-style fare. But the real image of Tesla Diner today, some eight months after its opening, is this: Just outside, a lone staff member spent the duration of my time there slowly cleaning an empty red carpet leading up to the front door.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The scene was a far cry from the hoopla surrounding the opening last July, after years of construction and social media teases<\/a>. Customers lined up and waited for hours to try burgers served in Cybertruck-shaped boxes. Of course, the timing of the restaurant\u2019s debut was also a moment of severe anti-Musk sentiment, arriving in the wake of his brief term running the so-called DOGE, or Department of Government Efficiency, for the Trump administration. Protesters came out in force for opening day, some brandishing inflatable Musk balloons wearing his signature black baseball hat and giving Nazi salutes<\/a> as cars whizzed by on Santa Monica Boulevard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This being Musk, the doors to the Tesla Diner opened to customers at precisely 4:20 p.m. that day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Space Age entrance to the Tesla Diner in West Hollywood, Calif.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The dining room at the Tesla Diner in West Hollywood, Calif., features a long, curved bar and mod seating.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Cybertruck-shaped boxes are available for purchase at the Tesla Diner in West Hollywood, Calif.Months later, the smoke has definitely cleared. There was nary a protester in sight during my visit, though some stragglers have been seen intermittently on the sidewalk out front in the recent past, seemingly yelling only to those who already agree with them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Turns out, the hordes of previous protesters now care as little about the Tesla Diner as LA diners do.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s already been reported that the diner has been on the struggle bus for some time: Only a few weeks after opening, it slashed much of its menu, with then-head chef Eric\u00a0Greenspan telling Eater LA<\/a> that the cutting of items like biscuits and cinnamon rolls was due to \u201cunprecedented demand.\u201d Even Greenspan, a longtime LA chef and founder of New School American Cheese (still used on the menu), was short-lived as the culinary face of the enterprise. Less than six months after the opening, he left the diner entirely to \u201cfocus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli,\u201d according to the Los Angeles Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Also gone is the Tesla\u00a0Optimus humanoid robot (nicknamed \u201cPoptimus\u201d) that once served popcorn.\u00a0Even the hours seem to have been whittled back shortly after opening. After famously promoting itself as a 24\/7 operation, within two weeks after its debut, the Tesla Diner\u2019s dining room was only open from 6 a.m. to midnight \u2014 although in-car dining is still available at all hours of the day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One of many humanoid robots on display at the Tesla Diner in West Hollywood, Calif.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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A Tesla merch station at the Tesla Diner in West Hollywood, Calif.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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A touchscreen menu at the Tesla Diner in West Hollywood, Calif.Musk, one of the most controversial CEOs and absurdly rich people in recent history, originally had grand plans for his diner concept, posting on X<\/a> last July: \u201cIf 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!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Given the middling success of the LA version, whether future locations will come to fruition remains to be seen. But it\u2019s telling that these days, even Musk himself has moved on from talking about Tesla Diner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In a recent\u00a0think piece<\/a> that drew some local pushback, Eater LA\u2019s Matt Kang asked, \u201cIs It Okay to Like the Tesla Diner?\u201d It\u2019s a squishy question, and one entirely dependent on a person\u2019s appetite for handing some of their money, however passively, to a person they may not agree with culturally or politically. At Tesla Diner, bored workers find time to keep the restaurant sparkling clean, and food arrives well-made and piping hot. Everyone inside was friendly to me, for whatever that\u2019s worth, and the upstairs deck\u00a0has some nice views of the Hollywood Hills<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Views from the second-level deck at the Tesla Diner in West Hollywood, Calif.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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A double Giga Burger and fries at the Tesla Diner in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 12, 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Views of movie screens and the Hollywood Hills from the rooftop deck at the Tesla Diner in West Hollywood, Calif.Are those details compelling enough to drive new customers to Tesla Diner\u2019s ample parking lot for a meal? Judging by the (lack of)\u00a0traffic<\/a>, the answer would seem to be a resounding no.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Besides, there are endless burgers and fries to be found in this rich burger city. In fact, here are 52 great ones<\/a>. And given that a double cheeseburger, fries and a fountain drink at the Tesla Diner came to nearly $40, there are less expensive ones to be found, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If the Tesla Diner plans to stick around, it needs a shot of \u2026 something. Electricity, maybe. Or a new owner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tesla Diner<\/em><\/a>, 7001 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Open for in-house dining from 6 a.m. to midnight. In-car dining available 24 hours a day.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LA’s Tesla Diner is so dead, even the protesters gave up Just eight months in, not even the tech bros are eating there The exterior of the Tesla Diner as seen from Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 12, 2026. On a recent midday visit to the Tesla Diner, Elon Musk\u2019s two-story […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-electric-cars-evs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1056"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1058,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056\/revisions\/1058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingcooper.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}