Mona Holmes is an editor at Eater Southern California/Southwest, a regular contributor at KCRW radio, and a 2022 James Beard Award nominee.
Elon Musk’s Hollywood restaurant is back in the spotlight after the New York Times published a story about the forthcoming Tesla diner, theater, and charging station on March 21. (Since then, multiple news outlets have covered the story.) The restaurant, which appears closer to completion at the former Shakey’s Pizza site on Santa Monica Boulevard near La Brea Avenue, still has no formal opening date.
Designed by architecture firm Stantec, the futuristic, eye-catching Tesla Diner & Drive-In hovers over one of Hollywood’s busiest streets. When open, it will be a two-level, 24-hour restaurant with two movie screens, dining areas, and electric vehicle charging stations. Musk has been plotting Tesla’s Los Angeles restaurant since 2018, seven years before he became embroiled in presidential duties with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE…