- Automaker files trademark applications for restaurant industry…
- Musk revives rumors of “old-school diner” at Santa Monica Supercharger station…
Elon Musk seems to be moving full speed ahead on the idea of a Tesla restaurant.
Records from the United States Patent and Trademark Office show the electric automaker filed three trademark applications in late May “to cover the categories of restaurant services, pop-up restaurant services, self-service restaurant services, take-out restaurant services.”
Those applications cover the Tesla name itself, the use of the stylized “T” design, and the company’s stylized TESLA logo.
Long Time Coming
The idea of a Tesla restaurant has been swirling since Musk first teased the idea more than three years ago.
In a tweet on January 6, 2018, he said, “Gonna put an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in LA”.
And on March 8, 2018, the electric automaker filed a building permit application for a “Tesla restaurant and supercharger station” in Santa Monica.
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The idea seemed to fizzle out with city records showing no further action taken on that application.
It seemed to be officially dead when Tesla submitted building plans in March for a supercharger station at the site with 62 charging stalls and no restaurant.
But then Musk gave new life to the restaurant idea.
In a tweet on April 2, the Tesla CEO said, “Major new Supercharger station coming to Santa Monica soon! Hoping to have 50’s diner & 100 best movie clips playing too. Thanks Santa Monica city!”
No timeline has been offered for when a Tesla restaurant might come to life but the new Santa Monica Supercharger station is expected to open in Q3 2021.
What Would a Tesla Restaurant Look Like?
The concept of a Tesla restaurant makes sense as drivers would be able to grab a bite to eat while charging up their car but the actual design hasn’t ever been seen.
Many have speculated the design might be similar to SONIC Drive-In restaurants which would fit perfectly with Elon Musk’s previous idea of an “old-school drive-in”.
And that idea could work seamlessly at the Santa Monica Supercharger station which is already split into individual charging stalls.
Back in 2018, Musk responded to a tweet about the idea of being able to order food from the car’s large touch screen.
The Tesla mastermind said, “Good idea. We can just have the menu pop up as soon as you put the car into park.”
According to Tesla, it takes about 45-50 minutes to fully charge a car at its Supercharger stations.
That sounds like just the right amount of time to browse the menu, place an order, get your food, and fill up your belly before hitting the road.
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