Tesla has entered the hospitality business, opening its first “retro-futuristic” Tesla Diner and 80-stall V4 Supercharger hub on Hollywood’s Santa Monica Boulevard at 4:20 p.m. local time on 21 July. The two-storey venue, which seats roughly 250 guests and operates around the clock, combines EV charging with classic American fare, rooftop dining and drive-in movie clips shown on twin 66-foot LED screens. Charging bays are open to any vehicle that uses the North American Charging Standard. Food service is handled through kiosks and an in-car ordering app, with a menu designed by Los Angeles chef Eric Greenspan that prices most entrées between $9 and $15. A demonstration Optimus humanoid robot handed out popcorn at the launch, and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said the robots will begin delivering meals directly to cars next year. A social-media post cited about $47,000 in food sales during the diner’s first six hours, outpacing nearby fast-food outlets. Musk said that if the Hollywood prototype proves popular, Tesla will replicate the format in “major cities around the world” and at Supercharger sites on long-distance routes. He has already floated a second U.S. location near SpaceX’s Starbase complex in Texas, while Chinese media report that Tesla has reserved a 3,000-square-metre plot beside its Shanghai Gigafactory and is targeting an opening around the 2026 Lunar New Year, with prices expected to be about 70 % of U.S. levels. The debut drew lines that wrapped around the block and prompted concerns from some neighbours about traffic and light pollution; protest groups plan demonstrations at the site later this month. Even so, analysts say the diner could broaden Tesla’s revenue streams, reinforce brand loyalty and showcase the company’s charging technology as it faces intensifying competition in the global EV market.