The chef and co-operator behind Tesla Diner, one of the city’s most eye-catching and polarizing new restaurants, is exiting the project. The electric vehicle charging station and restaurant combination will also soon transition to a full-service restaurant model, staff told the LA Times.
Electric vehicle company Tesla’s first restaurant opened on the border of Hollywood and West Hollywood in July, attracting fans and protesters alike for months. Chef Eric Greenspan has led the kitchen with a menu of American classics like milkshakes, tuna melts, hamburgers and Wagyu-chili hot dogs.
But at the same time, Mr. The New School American Cheese founder and former Foundry chef, who also helped open Beast Burger and the Weight Watchers cafe, said he was no longer affiliated with the restaurant and efforts to leave took more than a month.
“I am leaving the Tesla Diner project to focus on the opening of Mish, the Jewish deli I have long desired,” Greenspan said in a text message. “Projects like Mish and Tesla Diner require sharp focus and attention, and my focus and attention is now squarely on Mish.”
Tesla representatives 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 comments that has remained on Instagram since then refers to “Swasticar restaurant”.
When the restaurant opened in July, the chef posted a video on his personal Instagram account; “Tesla Diner is now open. 24/7 from now until forever,” the caption read. A flurry of comments poured in, chiding the chief for his involvement and his ties to Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, controversial figure and the world’s richest person.
Greenspan later deleted the video and all other mentions of the Tesla Diner from his Instagram page.
Tesla Diner chef and co-operator Eric Greenspan in the restaurant’s kitchen on opening day.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Greenspan did not respond to a request for comment on whether any negative response contributed to his departure from the company or on the future of the restaurant’s menu.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a Tesla Diner employee said they had not heard of Greenspan’s departure, but staff had been informed that the diner would be converted into a full-service restaurant by January.
Greenspan confirmed that Bill Chait, his former business partner at Tesla Diner, will remain attached to the project. Chait will also be a partner in the upcoming Mish, which Chait previously said was scheduled to open last month on La Brea Boulevard. Chait could not be reached for comment.
“This has been an amazing experience, and I am so proud of everything we have accomplished together,” Greenspan wrote in his message. “We will continue to work together at Mish and he will have my support whenever he needs it.”
A protester brings the sign he used at the “No to Kings” protest in June to Tesla Diner’s opening day on July 21, 2025.
(Lauren Ng / Los Angeles Times)
Not all feedback about the Tesla Diner has been negative.
On Tuesday, the rain of the last few days poured down and the sun shone through puffy clouds on the round metal of the Tesla Diner in Hollywood. By lunchtime, customers were pouring in as the Everly Brothers blared over the speakers. Many were tourists taking photos of Tesla signs.
26-year-old Connor Youn, from Vancouver, had rented a Tesla and spotted the charging station. He had no idea the diner was there until he shot the lot.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is the Tesla restaurant.’ I heard about that,” Youn said.
Youn’s friend Nick Roquefort, 25, said he has owned a Tesla for three years in his native France.
But they had never heard of Greenspan or the other culinary powers behind the project.
“I love the diner, I love the retro futuristic style,” Roquefort said. “I think it’s great.”
Gabriel Samuel, 21, from Stockholm, was waiting for his Giga Burger at a stand. He said he and his friend were excited to try the dish after watching videos on social media: “We saw it on TikTok and said, ‘Let’s go eat there.'”
