Struggling to sell EVs, Tesla pivots to slinging burgers
- Reference: 1753207814
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/07/22/tesla_fast_food/
- Source link:
Tesla opened a 24/7 [1]diner in West Hollywood, California, on Monday that CEO Elon Musk [2]described as "an island of good food, good vibes and entertainment" on a lot lined with 80 Tesla V4 superchargers beneath solar canopies.
"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," Musk said in a post on X.
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[4]Youtube Video
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The Tesla Diner welcomes those who don't own Tesla vehicles and is willing to charge cars manufactured by anyone whose ports are [7]compatible with Tesla's charging cables. No EV means no parking in the diner's lot, though - gas-guzzlers will need to use street parking or a nearby garage, [8]according to Tesla's FAQ page for the diner.
Seating for 250 people is available in the Tesla Diner's first and open-air second floor (sorry - that's the "Skypad"); those opting to sit up top will be subjected to get to experience "movies, content and special features" broadcast on two 66-foot LED screens set up outside the diner. Content being broadcast on the big screens will also be streamed directly to Tesla infotainment systems via the new Diner app, which can also be used to order food.
[9]
Other entertainment, according to press [10]photographs captured at the cafe over the weekend, includes an Optimus robot serving popcorn. There's also merchandise, including an Optimus action figure, gummy candy, and other company swag.
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Tesla "Optimus:" On sale now! - Click to enlarge
As for the sort of [12]diner fare being served at the one and only Tesla Diner, it's typical low-end American cuisine with your usual modern culinary twists, like chili made with Wagyu beef or a burger that includes something called "Electric Sauce."
All served in a Cybertruck-shaped box, naturally.
If you're looking to visit as a vegetarian, Tesla noted there are "multiple vegetarian options available," though the selection is quite limited, and even the fried goods are dunked in beef tallow instead of vegetable oil.
According to [13]reports from the opening of the diner yesterday, lines were massive when the doors opened at … sigh … 4:20 PM local time.
[14]Musk's antics and distractions are backfiring as Tesla's car business stalls
[15]Tesla Robotaxi videos show Elon's way behind Waymo
[16]Tesla FSD ignores school bus lights and hits 'child' dummy in staged demo
[17]Tesla's Optimus can't roll without rare earth magnets, and Beijing ain't budging yet
Portfolio diversification: A smart move for troubled times
Tesla sales have been in a slump for a while now, no small part of which can be attributed to Musk's brief political career and the [18]resulting fallout from his public feud with President Donald Trump.
That said, Tesla wasn't exactly performing at its best before Musk took a hard right turn - sales were slipping for a while before that [19]around the [20]world and in the US, where Tesla last year fell [21]below 50 percent of US EV market share for the first time. Blame increased competition from American and lower-cost [22]Chinese manufacturers , combined with a stale (or [23]failed ) lineup and a polarizing CEO.
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But lest you think the Tesla Diner was some last-minute attempt to drum up hype, it most absolutely was not: Back-of-the-napkin crazy as a Tesla-themed diner may seem, Musk has been chatting it up since 2023.
"Our Tesla futuristic diner (Grease meets The Jetsons with Supercharging) in LA should be ready later this year," Musk [25]said in a post on X in August 2023. Well, that's one promise fulfilled, albeit a couple of years late - and hey, technically [an] Optimus [shaped toy] is for sale at the diner. That's as close as we might ever get to an [26]actual [27]Tesla [28]bot , so call that a win if you want. ®
Get our [29]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.tesla.com/tesla-diner
[2] https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1947191931563565508
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aIAJ6UrjnRwg106sHRkGlwAAAM0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVNXiqpMs0c
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIAJ6UrjnRwg106sHRkGlwAAAM0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIAJ6UrjnRwg106sHRkGlwAAAM0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/06/28/sae_approves_standard_tesla_charger/
[8] https://www.tesla.com/support/tesla-diner
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIAJ6UrjnRwg106sHRkGlwAAAM0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/22/tesla-diner-photos-california.html
[11] https://regmedia.co.uk/2025/07/22/tesla-diner-optimus-toy.jpg
[12] https://www.tesla.com/diner-webapp/menu/#3be8cdfb-632a-4766-ba65-805810672ba7
[13] https://www.sfgate.com/la/article/tesla-diner-open-lines-los-angeles-20779054.php
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/03/elon_musk_tesla_deliveries_distraction/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/24/tesla_robotaxi_austin/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/30/selfdriving_tesla_accident/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/23/tesla_optimus_china/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/03/elon_musk_tesla_deliveries_distraction/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/18/tesla_sales_market_share_dip/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/06/europe_uk_tesla_sales/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/10/tesla_electric_car_sales/
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/19/byd_megawatt_ev_charging/
[23] https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/04/business/the-cybertruck-epic-descent-into
[24] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIAJ6UrjnRwg106sHRkGlwAAAM0&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[25] https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1687694538863697920
[26] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/23/tesla_optimus_china/
[27] https://electrek.co/2025/07/03/tesla-optimus-shambles-head-of-program-exits-production-delayed/
[28] https://qz.com/robot-legit-elon-musk-fake-optimus-tesla-demo-astribot-1851457009
[29] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Are you talking about a burger or are you considering [1]Elon's big offer ?
[1] https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/us-celebrity-news/elon-musks-extreme-breeding-rants-34743284
"retro-futuristic"
What???
At 60-something I am probably more 'retro' than 'futuristic'. I can only assume it is based on 'the Jetsons' cartoon 'vibe'.*
* I'm struggling with the modern vocabulary here, you can tell, can't you?
Re: "retro-futuristic"
Retro-futurism is a term that's been around for a long time, but yes your pretty much spot on with Jetsons.
Think how 1950s white USA thought the future would be, I.e. Muskrats wet dream material.
Re: "retro-futuristic"
I'm thinking it's going to be more Fallout futuristic than Jetsons. Maybe they could be called Red Rocket.
Revenue generator?
Think again unless Musk stiffs all the contractors (like Trump)
The cost to build that monstrosity and to run it will make generating a profit hard at least for 2-3 years.
Mr Elongated Muskrat seems to be doing a Trump. Sell any tat he can to the faithful instead of concentrating on the prime task... Running Tesla, SpaceX, X, Starlink etc. At least, he isn't spending 2 or 3 days a week golfing (badly).
Re: Revenue generator?
Yes he has learned well. Xai just did a 5B bond offering with spacex buying 2B of that, and I guess to pay the 2B, spacex is mulling another insider share offering. Could get interesting though, tesla could tumble with sales down, EV credits going bye bye with trump's update to cafe, and the chinese eating tesla's lunch in Asia and I guess now eu. If I were holding tesla, I'd be putting the sell order in.
Synergy!
Grease fires—like Tesla fires—can’t be extinguished with water, and both tend to result from poor decision-making.
I'm surprised there are not carhops on electric roller skates.
Ironically
California's favourite burger chain In-n-Out, is now "canceled" after the religious family owners all moved to a new state (presumably with lower income tax) after announcing California is a sink of depravity and communism and generally sinfulness
Meh.
Type your comment here - advanced HTML and hotlinks allowed.
Seriously though, if this doesn't indicate how much trouble the company is in then I don't know what does. "We want an updated car design" say the punters. "Eat this burger" says Musk.
You don't see Toyota peddling hotdogs.
Suzuki Curry
Bizarrely, there is a parallel, kinda.
According to the Japanese press, Suzuki now sells curry. The circumstances are that Suzuki has an assembly line in India. This has worked well. So the company has brought Indian workers over to Japan to work there too. Being a good Japanese company, anxious to keep their workers happy in a strange country, they set up a team to do everything possible to make it work for them. Apparently, this has included deep research into appropriate and quality cuisine for the factory canteen, including curry. Of course, Japan has "curry", but it's a Japanese copy of a British copy of an Indian idea, so much has "changed" in translation. Suzuki have gone back to the source.
This has been unexpectedly highly successful. So successful that Suzuki is now marketing their freshly developed range of curry, and apparently their staff originated from India can't get enough of it. "Come over, quick, the food's brilliant (nom nom nom)" seems to be the message.
I'm going to put in an order at my local Suzuki dealership.
Re: Meh.
Obligatory mention of VW's [1]best selling product
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_currywurst
Re: Meh.
Well I never. That's brilliant.
The difference of course is that a Suzuki curry and VW sausage are both high quality products. I just can't see a Tesla burger being any good.
Probably the panel gaps aren't consistent, and it has a tendency to drive off in strange directions all by itself.
Re: Meh.
tendency to drive off in strange directions all by itself.
Projectile vomiting? Or exit through the "normal" route under ludicrous speed?
Note to Tesla lawyers: see icon
RUE
Rapid Unscheduled Destruction [Exit]
Re: Meh.
And VW Italy's Instagram page address:
[1]https://www.instagram.com/volkswagenitalia
[1] https://www.instagram.com/volkswagenitalia
Re: Meh.
That looks like a "click-at-your-peril" link, if ever I saw one. NSFW?
Re: Meh.
Why doesn't this URL get the Scunthorpe treatment?
I mean, think of the kids ... innocent teenagers browsing the web on lookout for detailed human anatomy, being presented with pictures of cars?! An outrage.
Re: Meh.
Seriously though, if this doesn't indicate how much trouble the company is in then I don't know what does.
McDonalds earns more money from real estate than it does from selling burgers. I may be misremembering, but I think Dominos (or is it Little Caesars) has a similar model. Franchising, financing, and supplying independent store owners. A company's highest profile activity isn't necessarily the one that generates the income.
Tesla earns a lot of it's revenue from carbon credits rather than strictly selling cars. (you have to sell the cars to have the carbon credits to sell) With the attack on climate change initiatives and Tesla cars sales cratering, super chargers are the next best revenue stream.
Overall, it's an interesting idea. It makes sense to offer different amenities at charging locations. Buc ees, Travel America, Pilot, Flying J.
And every body likes a good themed business. But unfortunately, I think Elon is too toxic for it to succeed beyond a restaurant or two.
The pinnacle of fine dining...
... a burger restaurant where every seat has a view of the car park.
Re: The pinnacle of fine dining...
...and the films often include Triumph of the Will
Well, he had to do
something with all that meat after his beef with Trump.
Re: Well, he had to do
That explains where all his bullshit comes from!
Edinburgh Restuarant?
Note to Tesla: Do not try this in Edinburgh as it will not be good for business - any time somebody pops in, the staff will say, "You'll have had your tea, then?"
Soundtrack on that Ad, anyone else getting Fallout vibes, or is it just me ?
West Hollywood? Isn't that also known as Stormy Daniels City?
Buy a Burger
get a free Tesla
Tesla Fertility Clinic
Where the sperm is harvested from the hallowed loins of the man himself
On the menu
Flame Grilled Burgers - done with a Boring Flamethrower
[1]https://www.theregister.com/2018/01/29/musk_flamethrower_boring/
CyberBeer
[2]https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/16/tesla_beer/
Tequilla
[3]https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/06/tesla_tequila/
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2018/01/29/musk_flamethrower_boring/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/16/tesla_beer/
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/06/tesla_tequila/
No endorsment
Unlike the earlier Tesla event at the White House lawn, guess we'll not be seeing an endorsement from Trump
I give it about three weeks before complaints about light pollution from the giant screens start rolling in, just like when Elon thought it'd be a oh-so-clever idea to put a giant flashing X on top of their building a couple years back. That's presuming the novelty factor of this place even lasts that long.
Sounds tasty!