The Tesla Diner has developed into a gathering place for Elon Musk supporters

A huge spherical silver structure dominates the junction of Santa Monica Boulevard and Orange Drive on a modest corner in West Hollywood.

The Tesla Diner is a two-story restaurant, drive-in theater, retail store, and electric vehicle charging station that opened in July. However, it has also become into a popular place for followers of divisive billionaire Elon Musk and his several businesses.

Although Musk first proposed the concept of a Tesla diner in 2018, it took five years for work to start. Musk and his businesses had seen a whirlwind of events by the time the diner opened, including the 2022 acquisition of what was then Twitter, an alliance (and disastrous fallout) with President Donald Trump, and Tesla’s crashing sales and widespread protests.

However, for some diners, Tesla’s troubles, Musk’s political incursion, and the tumultuous split from Trump are just background noise.

Jetsons-style eatery

The Cybertruck from Tesla is renowned for its acute angles. With the exception of the Cybertruck food boxes, almost everything at the diner has rounded corners.

While the audio for the drive-in movie screens is routed into their sound system, Tesla drivers can order food straight from the touch screens of their cars and select from 80 supercharger stations encircling the eatery.

However, a lot of patrons opt to experience the diner indoors, which entails going through a circular doorway that leads to oval booths, curved counters, and rounder chairs, all of which are decorated in black, white, and chrome. The “Skypad” rooftop, where Tesla and Optimus-branded items, like $35 Tesla gummy candy, is accessible by a spiral staircase that is adorned with exhibits of different iterations of the company’s Optimus autonomous robot. Diners may overlook the Hollywood sign and the enormous cinema screens from the Skypad.

When CNN went in mid-August, the diner’s workers said that the Optimus robot that served popcorn on the Skypad had been out of commission for a few weeks.

There have also been changes to other aspects of the early days. When CNN visited, a number of the menu items, such as the “Epic Bacon,” had been removed.

However, the company’s supporters have not been put off by any of these setbacks. In the early days, Cybertruck owners organized organized “light shows,” where vehicles lined up on their own and flashed their headlights in time with music. Tesla fan organizations also frequently convene at the café. On Tuesday, fans flocked to the cafe to witness Musk’s SpaceX Starship launch. Others have posted about their cross-country road adventures to get to the diner—in their Teslas, of course.

Supporters of Musk dismiss the recent drama

High-end lighting designer Jacob Towe stopped by the eatery while traveling from Florida. Before the cafe opened, fans could only visit SpaceX’s Starbase, take factory tours, or visit special supercharger stations, he told CNN. He claimed that the diner provides a more “natural” and “down-to-earth” setting for “chatting with like-minded people.”

Owning five Teslas, multiple Starlink satellite internet devices, and Tesla powerwall and powerbank charging systems, Towe stated that he considers Musk to be one of the few innovators in the world.

Even to a fault, he said, he respects Musk’s capacity to disregard popular opinion. According to Towe, it’s amusing, at the very least, and exemplifies Musk’s philosophy of “100% data, 0% noise.”

He also respects Musk’s foray into politics and his promise to launch his own party following a public altercation with Trump. Towe described the political endeavor as “quite impressive” and cited Musk’s decision to go “a difficult route.”

Towe stated, “(Musk will) come up with something that everyone is saying shouldn’t be done, or that it’s actually really hard and … way too expensive.” “Musk will find a way to do it, figure it out, and then profit from it.”

During the yearly “X Takeover” event in Silicon Valley, a group of admirers recently gave Musk “thank you” notes and a compilation film. The event, which began as a Tesla fan gathering, turned into a celebration of Musk’s businesses.

The head of the Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley organization and one of the event’s organizers, John Stringer, told CNN that the treatment of Musk and his businesses is what led to the creation of the video.

Stringer stated that Musk is “the greatest mind on the planet” and added, “I believe in the things that he’s doing because they’re having an impact, and no one else is driving this type of impact.”

Stringer stated, “He is out here trying to help the world and make it better.”

Protests and headaches in the neighborhood

The diner has not been well received by everyone.

A poster depicting Musk’s visage with the phrase “DOUCHE” underneath it occupies a window overlooking the superchargers in a nearby residential complex. Other neighbors have voiced their displeasure over the additional traffic and noise, as well as the fact that the enormous movie screen fully blocks their windows.

Protesters have been drawn to the diner and have also targeted Tesla manufacturing and dealerships. The protests are a reaction to Musk’s outspoken positions on immigration and transgender issues, as well as his previous position in the Trump administration.

Even some Tesla supporters expressed their hope that Musk will return his attention to his businesses even though they still support him.

When he pulled up in his gray Model Y, patron Patrick Renner told CNN he was “very excited” to check out the diner. Renner, however, stated that although Musk “can do a lot of things” and is “very smart,” he believes that “Tesla needs him at the moment” when asked about his thoughts on Musk’s entry into politics.