For some unlucky consumers, a quick pit stop at the newly opened Tesla Diner in West Hollywood led to a subpar dining experience. A $13 hot dog — allegedly a popular item at the establishment — included a questionably long Snap-O-Razzo frank on an untoasted potato roll, per a photo posted on Reddit. A $9 grilled cheese sandwich came with a measly piece of bacon, thick globs of half-melted cheese and two slices of burnt Texas Toast.
Just two weeks after opening its doors to the public, Elon Musk’s “retro-futuristic” diner downsized its menu, albeit with no reported plans to improve its food quality or bring down menu prices. The current menu touts three sandwiches, a burger (conveniently called the “Tesla Burger”), a hot dog, two sides, two flavors of pie, shakes, drip coffee and an assortment of iced beverages. Biscuits and red gravy, hash brown bites, chocolate chip cookies, club sandwiches, market salads and other quintessential American foods — all served on opening day — are now nowhere to be found. Same with the $12 “Epic Bacon,” which was sold as a standalone item. It’s been replaced with plain ol’ bacon that’s purely an add-on to burgers and grilled cheese.
It’s still unclear why Tesla Diner decided to scale down its menu within such a short period of time. In an interview conducted via text message, Tesla Diner chef Eric Greenspan kept details sparse, telling Eater that the menu would be “forever evolving” and that the “unprecedented demand” led to menu cuts for efficiency. As of Aug. 6, Greenspan said soft serve would return to the diner menu later that week, but the sweet treat has yet to show up. Additionally, biscuits are slated to come back as a special “sooner rather than later.” And so-called Easter eggs and specials “would be added here and there,” Eater reported.
The outlet added that breakfast items like waffles and cinnamon rolls, which were previously listed as “all-day breakfast,” are now only served in the mornings. Certain fountain drinks, including Shirley Temples and Creamsicles, were also cut from the menu.
It’s no surprise that Tesla is struggling to operate a full-fledged diner/movie-theatre/charging-station hybrid, considering that the company has notoriously come under fire for its poorly built and unreliable electric vehicles. Amid the diner’s construction in 2023, Axios’ Jennifer A. Kingson wrote that the restaurant could become “a national blueprint,” starting “a chain of charge-and-dine stations, which would be a new retail category.” With Tesla Diner’s recent string of changes, that doesn’t seem like a possibility at this time.
In anticipation of its contentious opening, Tesla Diner racked up a list of complaints and sparked widespread backlash. Nearby residents said living next to the diner is “absolute hell” due to loud construction, traffic jams and giant movie screens blocking the view from their balconies. Within the diner’s first weekend of operation, anti-Musk protestors assembled outside, holding signs that read “F**k Nazi Billionaires” and “Boycott Tesla,” The Guardian reported. Only a few days later, an outdoor patio covering on the diner’s roof “brutally” struck a woman in the forehead and nearly hit her baby, per TMZ. The 21-year-old woman and her husband said they plan to file a lawsuit against Tesla over the incident.
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The New York Times also found that the diner isn’t a 24-hour restaurant, despite being marketed as such. Its hours of operation are between 6 a.m. and midnight, except for Tesla drivers who can charge and order through their cars’ computerized consoles at any time. However, there’s one caveat. Tesla drivers can only order on the diner’s premises due to a glitch in the ordering technology and “geofence.”
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.
An island of good food, good vibes & entertainment, all while Supercharging! https://t.co/zmbv6GfqKf
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 21, 2025
It’s clear Tesla Diner still needs more refining. In a July 21 post on X, Musk teased plans to open more diners globally.
“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,” he wrote.
“An island of good food, good vibes & entertainment, all while Supercharging!”
