If you've already forgotten about the relatively recent launch of the Tesla Diner, you're not alone.
According to Autoblog, the massively hyped, Tesla-fied burger joint became a poorly reviewed "ghost town" just six months after opening its doors.
What's happening?
Like many of Tesla CEO Elon Musk's ideas for the electric vehicle brand, the Tesla Diner was proposed several years before it debuted.
On Jan. 6, 2018, Musk tweeted: "Gonna put an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in LA."
However, the Tesla Diner wouldn't open its doors until July 21. From the outset, there were signs the venture might not be a hit.
An Aug. 5 New York Times headline for a review of the venue didn't hold back: "At the Tesla Diner, the Future Looks Mid." The ensuing coverage painted a chaotic picture of high expectations smashed as thoroughly as the restaurant's burgers.
"When I went, there were no salads, no veggie patties, no club sandwiches, no avocado toasts, no beef tallow-fried hash browns, no biscuits, no pies, no cookies, no soft serve, no milkshakes, no 'epic bacon,'" the Times writer damningly observed.
A Google Review from early January was one of several that hinted the Tesla Diner never reached a comfortable cruising speed.
"We went expecting a one of a kind experience, instead we got a huge disappointment," the user began, citing poor, slow service, "outrageous" prices, and a lack of "futuristic" details.
"I was expecting there to be robots working and preparing dishes. Instead I got Wall-E from Wish.com behind a glass wall. Very disappointed," they concluded.
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Elon is the man 🥰 Why is this concerning?
2025 proved to be an inflection point for the Tesla brand, casting doubt on its once-bright future.
CEO Elon Musk's involvement in U.S. politics generated immense blowback for Tesla everywhere. Sales faltered as a result, and the EV maker faced additional headwinds when long-standing federal incentives were abruptly halted.
A flustered Musk doubled down on another long-promised debut. He stated that the autonomous robotaxi that he once predicted would be omnipresent on roads in the U.S. by 2020.
After years of hype, Tesla's robotaxis debuted in Austin on an extremely limited scale. The launch was rife with glitches, intensifying doubts about the brand's self-driving capabilities.
A floundering Tesla Diner isn't likely to bolster or restore confidence in the brand, potentially undermining EV adoption.
What's being done about it?
As Autoblog noted, the ostensible failure of the Tesla Diner made clear that "even the most powerful brand in tech cannot rely on hype forever."
Tesla appears to be banking hard on the launch of its Cybercab to revive its standing. Its 2026 launch could be delayed due to a failure to file proper regulatory documents.
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