Queues, cut menu and chaos: what's wrong with Tesla Diner
A fortnight ago, Ilon Musk inaugurated the Tesla Diner, a retro-futuristic charging restaurant. It was supposed to be a place where you could charge your electric car, eat "epic" dishes and enjoy the atmosphere of an American diner of the future. But already now the institution has managed to get on the list of Musk's projects, which did not reach their own promises.
What happened in 2 weeks
According to Eater, the menu, which started with dozens of items, has lost weight in a couple of weeks to five types of sandwiches, two side dishes, a couple of pies, milkshakes and drinks. Gone are salads, club sandwiches, hashbrowns, biscuits and even the veggie patty. Breakfast is now only served in the morning, and Musk's iconic $12 Epic Bacon - four strips of maple-glazed bacon - has gone to the scrap heap. The bacon remains only as an additive to sandwiches.
A stripped-down menu without the $12 Epic Bacon. Illustration: Tesla Diner
Chef Eric Greenspan attributed the cuts to "unprecedented demand" - the kitchen just couldn't keep up. The Tesla Diner's popularity was so high that Autoweek reporters queued for two hours at a time, and 404 Media called the atmosphere "chaotic."
The funny thing is, the food doesn't particularly impress anyone. Motortrend rated it "only okay," The New York Times rated it " mediocre." One regular customer honestly admitted, "We only get the burgers, the rest is too bad" - while promising to come back.
Apparently, Tesla Diner is not about the taste, but about the effect: like moths to the light, people go for the hype, even if the "light" itself is not particularly warming.
