Tesla has reportedly started constructing a new restaurant in Santa Monica, the first of its kind in the US. CEO Elon Musk had tweeted multiple times, with child-like enthusiasm, Tesla’s plans of building a futuristic diner and drive-in theater in the Hollywood area, and construction for the same now appears to be underway.
InsideEVs viewed the Los Angeles Department Of Building and Safety Records data and found that permit applications for a driveway and multiple food establishments were cleared by the authorities early this year. The latest records show that the authorities have granted contractor PCL Construction the approval to start work on the footing, foundation, and slabs.
Musk said in August 2023 that the diner would be ready by the end of the year, indicating a relatively short construction time. He added that the diner’s theme would be “Grease meets The Jetsons with Supercharging.” It’s hard to predict if that would be the official retro-modern theme, or if he was just joking.
Food automation and robotics newsletter Ottomate reported that the plot plan is for a two-story restaurant structure, 32 charging stalls, two cinema screens, and a rooftop bar. The site previously housed 50-year-old restaurant chain Shakey’s Pizza, hinting at the continuing gentrification of the West Hollywood neighborhood.
It’s unclear if Tesla will continue to build jazzed-up Supercharger stations with themed diners across the country – the success of the Santa Monica location would probably determine that – but it would certainly give Tesla owners driving in the area more options to kill time and enjoy themselves while their electric cars and trucks get juiced up.
Tesla is dipping its feet into new waters as deliveries of the Cybertruck are about to begin. A drone operator recently captured the manufacturing confirmation units of the radical-looking electric truck at Giga Texas, and production of the customer-intent assembly units is likely to begin soon.