At first, no one believed Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the company would soon open an old-school drive-in restaurant. However, since then, his company has been quietly making moves to do so! See what this new restaurant might have in store for customers...
Tesla’s New Drive-in Restaurant
Its been nearly three years since Elon Musk, the man behind companies like Pay-Pal, Tesla, and SpaceX, announced his plans to create a drive-in restaurant. Back in 2018, he teased the news of a combo restaurant and supercharging stations. "Gonna put an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in LA," he wrote on Twitter. For those who don't know, the Supercharger stations feature lots of quick-charging stations for Tesla vehicles.
At first, everyone believed Musk meant the tweet as a joke. After all, he's known for his sometimes trolling tweets. However, since then, the team at Tesla has applied for a "restaurant and supercharger station" in the city of Santa Monica, California. Now, Musk has taken to Twitter once again to discuss his plans for a drive-in restaurant. "Major new Supercharger station coming to Santa Monica soon," the CEO tweeted last month. "Hoping to have 50's diner & 100 best movie clips playing too. Thanks Santa Monica city!"
Still, despite the desire for larger and quicker charging stations, few wonder how the drive-in restaurant will fair. Especially as coronavirus pandemic restrictions loosen all across the United States...
Good Idea Post Pandemic?
It seems that the COVID-19 pandemic reminded Musk of his idea. For those who don't know, drive-ins, both theaters and restaurants, returned to their 50s and 60s popularity amidst the pandemic. However, as lockdowns and bans are lifted, and over half of Americans vaccinated, these restaurants and theaters are returning to their pre-coronavirus popularity. Still, there are many that believe that even as the drive-in restaurants return to their former customer bases, Tesla might be able to earn quite a bit of cash with the idea. After all, this drive-in will feature something similar eateries, like Varsity, Keller's, Sonic, and Checkers, do not: car charging! Now, Tesla owners will not need to charge separately from eating!
Meanwhile, you can count on Musk to make a drive-in of the future. So far, the CEO has promised that the menu will appear on a Tesla's center display screen as the driver arrives at the restaurant. Likewise, as a fan of both French food and well-crafted BBQ, you can bet the menu will not feature typical fast food junk. However, some industry experts believe that Telsa will likely collaborate with other food brands. Only time will tell.
As for the restaurant permit, it's due to be reviewed in three months. Until then, Tesla fans will need to wait and see what becomes of the space!
Sources: Business Insider, The Takeout, Twitter.