Six months after its high-profile opening, Elon Musk's Tesla Diner in Los Angeles has seen a dramatic decline in popularity. Once drawing long queues and hundreds of visitors daily, the retro-futuristic eatery now feels like a ghost town, with more staff cleaning than customers dining.
Chef Eric Greenspan, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate who helped launch Mr Beast Burger, has left the Tesla Diner to focus on opening a Jewish deli called Mish. He removed Instagram posts referencing the diner, but has not publicly explained his departure. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.
The diner faced criticism from restaurant reviewers who described the food as forgettable and the concept as a corporate branding exercise. Menu items, including a £13.50 'Tesla Giga Burger' and £8 milkshakes, often sold out or arrived cold and soggy. Anti-Musk protests and noise complaints also plagued the site.
Musk had touted the diner as 'one of the coolest spots in LA' and suggested expansion to Palo Alto and Austin, but no formal plans have been announced. The initial surge of food influencers and social media buzz has faded, leaving the spotless but near-empty diner a shadow of its former self.
