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'Fast food schlocky' Tesla's robot-staffed diner shows early signs of malfunction
The Guardian
|July 26, 2025
It was just before lunchtime on its third day of operation, and the queue outside Elon Musk's new Tesla Diner in Hollywood already stretched to nearly 100 people.
It was just before lunchtime on its third day of operation, and the queue 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. 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. 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 and yet the fans were still cheerfully lining up.
This story is from the July 26, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
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