Last year, Tesla opened a diner/Supercharger combo in Los Angeles, where you can juice up your car and grab a bite while you wait. It’s a good idea that’s apparently working well, beyond just the initial opening excitement. According to Max de Zegher, Tesla’s senior director of charging, over the past year the Tesla Diner was the most used Supercharger station in the world by far, averaging 1,600 sessions per day.
In that first year, the Tesla Diner has delivered a total of 21.2 GWh from its 80 charging stalls. For reference, that’s enough juice to run 1,964 average American homes for an entire year. It isn’t hard to see why, either. With a full restaurant that serves classic American diner food, like burgers, fries, and milkshakes, it’s a comfy place to spend a half-hour or more to charge. You can even order from your Tesla’s infotainment screen (which I suggest only doing while stopped), and your order will be brought to your car while you charge. Throw in its bathrooms, coffee, and other Tesla-themed snacks, and it’s easy to see why the Diner has become so popular. In contrast, so many chargers are in a random parking lot without much going on.
Last April, Elon Musk said more Tesla Diners are coming soon. He didn’t say when, but even if he did it’d probably be delayed far beyond that anyway. However, Musk would be foolish to not make more Tesla Diners. The lone Hollywood location is buzzing and doing well, proving that Tesla is still the best in the charging game.
Photo by: Peter Nelson / InsideEVs
Adding to the Diner’s Americana-meets-retrofuturism vibe, it even doubles as a drive-up movie theater. Two 66-foot LED screens show movies that you can watch from either the Diner’s balcony or the comfort of your car. The latter of which uses the Tesla Diner app, so it plays the audio through your car’s speakers like a classic drive-up movie. Movie sessions are displayed in the car’s app, so you’ll know what’s playing and when, letting you plan your charge accordingly.
I’ve never shied away from criticizing Tesla’s cars and the man behind them when necessary, but there’s no denying that this is a good idea. I’ve long said that there should be more communal charging stations, where owners can grab a real bite to eat—not just gas station-style snacks—and hang out. And the Tesla Diner’s instant success proves that customers want that too.