PHOTOGRAPH: ETHAN NOAH ROY Greenspan is something of a local legend in LA, famed for his tenure at The Foundry on Melrose and, depending on what side of town you’re on, is known for making the best grilled cheese in the city. He also helped open Mr. Beast Burger—yes, that Mr. Beast—where he put a unique spin on American comfort food. That’s also what you’ll find at the Tesla diner. The fare is red, white, and blue to the core, with a few special twists: tuna melts, club sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, chicken tenders, all-day breakfast, Wagyu beef chili, and—of course, because it’s a Greenspan operation after all—grilled cheese on Tartine buttermilk bread. Fusing the nostalgia of a McDonald’s Happy Meal with the gloss of Tesla branding, food is served in Cybertruck boxes with Cybertruck-shaped wooden forks. Every part of the experience is a reminder of—and an opportunity to sell—the Tesla ethos. “I think this might be the new spot,” says Xavier Hardy, a realtor and DJ, who orders the chicken and waffles, and raves about the black pepper mayo sauce it came with. “I saw that the diner is 24 hours. I feel everyone is going to come here after events, clubs. All the celebs will probably be here. I’m surprised no other car companies have thought of this before. And the food isn’t too expensive either.” I mention to Hardy that the hot dog—which has a rubbery texture and taste—costs $17 dollars (if you opt to add the cheese and Wagyu chili). “For some people, that’s nothing though,” he says. Terence Sampson, a therapist from Long Beach, tagged along with Hardy for the day. “I don’t have a Tesla, but I want a Cybertruck,” he says. “They’re super futuristic but also simple. They’re sleek. Energy efficient. They are the iPhones of cars.” I ask what they think of Musk. “I don’t like him,” Sampson says. “He’s a great businessman and innovative, but I work for the government, so when he was with Trump and all of that stuff—nah. I like this Elon, not the one that was sending emails to our job. Not him.” Sampson tells me he works for the Department of Veteran Affairs. In January, newly appointed to the Trump administration, Musk sent an email to federal employees asking them “to resign by February 6 if they do not wish to return to the office five days a week and commit to a culture of excellence,” WIRED reported. The following month, another investigation by WIRED found that federal government workers were told to email the Office of Personnel Management with “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week” or they would be terminated. Aerial view of the Tesla Diner and Drive-In restaurant and Supercharger on July 21, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES Many of the people I speak with agree that Musk’s personal politics are questionable but that his business acumen as an innovator cannot be questioned. Ralph N., a software engineer traveling through LA with his sons for a water polo tournament stopped at the diner to charge his Tesla before driving back to San Francisco. “I was a fan of his until about two years ago, when he went crazy. I am kind of on the fence now.” He’s owns the Model 3, since it first came out seven years ago, and later bought a second Tesla, the Model Y. “I am a fan of the stuff that he makes. He used to be a cool engineer to follow, but he got political the last couple of years and alienated a bunch of people. I’m not super happy about that.” On the second floor is the “Skypad,” a deck that wraps around the entire building. There’s table seating, hillside views of Los Angeles, and a bar, where employees sell Tesla merch. A giddy crowd gathers around the popcorn machine, where a humanoid robot—eerily reminiscent of the killer machines in the movie I, Robot—waves to onlookers and serves popcorn. PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY IMAGES “Elon definitely snapped,” Jamel Bullock says, conveying a compliment of high praise, a cultural colloquialism. A Silverlake-based design creative who works in fashion and tech, Bullock bought a Model 3 a couple of months ago and considers it “the best car of all time.” Overall, he says, the diner experience is what LA needs and will make for a great date spot. “Now, if it stays this loud, it might suck for them,” he says, pointing to the apartment complex across the street, where people gawk at the spectacle from their balconies. “Regardless of how you feel about it, though, it’s just cool overall.” Umut, who came with a friend and asked that his last name not be printed for privacy concerns, heard about the opening on X Tuesday morning. He bought a Model Y a year ago and says he has endured some backlash for it since Musk’s public favor has waned. “I see a lot of people with those stickers saying I used to drive this before Elon went crazy. I’m not like that. I have my own opinion, but I don’t think it’s right to do that. It does feel a little weird to be honest. My friends make jokes about it sometimes—‘Oh, you’re driving a Tesla.’ It’s a car at the end of the day. It serves me well.” PHOTOGRAPH: ETHAN NOAH ROY