You only have to watch a few episodes of “The Bear” to understand the harsh realities of opening a restaurant. But when you are the richest man in the world and have a reputation for being a visionary, you might think you have enough connections, resources, business savvy, and entrepreneurial insight to avoid some of the pitfalls. Then again, if you’re Elon Musk and have lost a few friends and even made some enemies in recent months, you may have a tougher hill to climb than you expected. And it’s why chefs and restaurateurs are expressing doubts about the prospects for the Tesla restaurant Musk is currently building in Los Angeles.
In January 2018, the electric automotive company CEO announced his plans on X, formerly known as Twitter, to put “an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant” at a Tesla Supercharger location in Los Angeles. Fast forward over five years to his August 2023 announcement on X that the “Tesla futuristic diner” would be open by the end of the year. Nearly two years later, the restaurant is still under construction, per The New York Times, and no opening date has been confirmed.
In the meantime, Musk’s reputation and fortune have both taken a hit, stirring controversy for his actions online and offline, the mass layoffs of government workers under the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and his overall political stance. Although he is still the richest man in the world as of early April 2025, Tesla’s year-to-date stock price is down just over 45% at the time of writing amid investor concern that Musk is spending more time in Washington, D.C. than he is at Tesla, protests at Tesla dealerships, reports of people returning Teslas, and declining sales around the world.
Chefs and restaurant groups unwilling to work with Elon Musk
According to The New York Times, Tesla reached out to several restaurant groups that could operate the diner on the company’s behalf. Among those that have declined are the Lucques Group and Wolfgang Puck Catering. One of the Lucques Group’s concerns was the company’s lack of a liquor license. Both Shake Shack co-founder Danny Meyer and Paul Kahan of One Off Hospitality in Chicago shared with the Times that their companies had not been approached but weren’t interested. Chef David Chang, who wasn’t a likely candidate for the Tesla restaurant gig since he has publicly expressed his disdain for grilling burgers, described to the Times how he thinks chefs are in a bind when it comes to speaking out on this issue, whatever their feelings on it.
Several chefs who have supported Elon Musk have received public backlash. After Walter Manzke, who owns the popular LA restaurant République, expressed support for the Tesla restaurant in the Times article, his restaurant was widely criticized on Reddit. Embattled Michelin-starred chef Matt Baker, who is currently facing financial and legal issues, has been blasted on social media for sharing Musk’s posts and publicly inviting the billionaire to his D.C. restaurant Gravitas.
Despite hesitancy from several chefs and restaurant groups, Musk has recently found one willing to take on the task of running the Tesla restaurant: Eric Greenspan. On March 26, Sawyer Merritt reported on X that the LA-based restaurateur known for his grilled cheese expertise and work running delivery-only ghost kitchens had been tapped as head chef. However, Greenspan is already potentially facing backlash over the partnership, as PopUp Bagels deleted its Instagram post from April 6 announcing a collaboration with Greenspan’s cheese company, New School American, according to a Threads post.
