The chef and co-operator behind Tesla Diner, one of the city’s most notable and polarizing new restaurants, is exiting the project. Staff told the L.A. Times that the combination electric-vehicle charging station and diner will also shift to a full-service restaurant model soon.
The first restaurant from electric-vehicle company Tesla debuted at the border of Hollywood and West Hollywood in July, drawing throngs of fans as well as protesters for months. Its chef, Eric Greenspan, headed the kitchen with a menu of American classics such as milkshakes, tuna melts, burgers and Wagyu-chili hot dogs.
But the New School American Cheese founder and former Foundry chef, who also helped launch Mr. Beast Burger and the Weight Watchers cafe, said he is no longer tied to the diner and that his departure was in the works for more than one month.
“I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, my long-desired Jewish deli,” Greenspan wrote in a text message. “Projects like Mish and the Tesla Diner require a sharpness of focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish.”
Representatives of Tesla could not be reached for comment.
Greenspan faced backlash for his involvement when his ties to Tesla Diner were confirmed in March. One of the few remaining comments on his Instagram from the time references “the Swasticar restaurant.”
In July, when the diner opened, the chef posted a video to his personal Instagram; the caption read, “Tesla Diner now open. 24/7 from now until forever.” Streams of comments poured in chastising the chef for his hand in the business and its ties to Tesla’s chief executive, controversial figure and world’s richest person Elon Musk.
Greenspan then deleted the video from his Instagram page, along with all other mentions of Tesla Diner.
Greenspan did not respond to request for comment regarding whether any negative response contributed to his split from the company, nor regarding the future of the restaurant’s menu.
On Tuesday afternoon a Tesla Diner employee said that they had not heard news of Greenspan’s departure but that staff had been informed the diner would be converted into a full-service restaurant by January.
Greenspan confirmed that Bill Chait, his former business partner in Tesla Diner, will remain attached to the project. Chait will also be a partner in the forthcoming Mish, which Chait previously said was slated to open last month on La Brea Avenue. Chait could not be reached for comment.
“It’s been an amazing experience and I’m very proud of everything we accomplished together,” Greenspan wrote in his message. “We will continue to work together at Mish, and he will always have my support in any way he needs it.”
Not all feedback for Tesla Diner has been negative.
On Tuesday, the rain of the past few days broke and the sun shone through fluffy clouds on the rounded metal of the Tesla Diner in Hollywood. Customers streamed in around lunchtime as the Everly Brothers blared through the speakers. Many were tourists, snapping photos of the Tesla signage.
Connor Youn, 26, visiting from Vancouver, had rented a Tesla and spotted the charging lot. He had no idea the diner was located there until he pulled in the lot.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is the Tesla diner.’ I had heard about it,” Youn said.
Youn’s friend, Nick Roquefort, 25, said he’s owned a Tesla for three years in his home country of France.
But neither had heard of Greenspan, nor any other culinary forces behind the project.
“I like the diner, I like the retro futuristic style,” Roquefort said. “I think it’s cool.”
Gabriel Samuel, 21, visiting from Stockholm waited for his Giga Burger in a booth. He said he and his friend were excited to try the food after watching videos on social media: “We saw it on TikTok and said, ‘Let’s go eat there.’ ”
The post Tesla Diner chef exits, staff hints at new full-service format appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
