Leading electric vehicle company Tesla Inc. continues to build numerous Supercharger sites across the country. One planned site could lead to a new line of business for the company.
Plans by Tesla and CEO Elon Musk to create a restaurant and dine-in theater at a Supercharger location date back to 2018. The plans appear to be closer to fruition, as Musk said an unnamed location in Hollywood, California, will get a “diner and drive-in theater.”
Musk’s announcement comes after a Supercharger location recently opened in Santa Monica that was originally supposed to have a restaurant and movie theater. Musk also changed the wording of the restaurant from “retro” to “futuristic.”
Tesla filed trademarks for its restaurant services brand name in 2021.
“Tesla’s trademark registration is expected to cover the categories of restaurant services, pop-up restaurant services, self-service restaurant services, take-out restaurant services,” Electrek said at the time.
Musk’s plans for food and entertainment options at Supercharger sites have been around for years and signal potential revenue streams for the company.
Charging a vehicle takes time, and that time could be used by vehicle operators at a restaurant or movie theater.
A photo from Electrek shows a food truck at the Supercharger site in Santa Monica. However, it’s unclear whether it paid Tesla to park in the lot or took advantage of the site’s grand opening. Some restaurants have offered free delivery to nearby Supercharger locations in the past, but this does not provide Tesla with additional revenue.
As Benzinga reported in 2021, Tesla could partner with existing restaurant operators to build smaller locations at Supercharger stations, similar to fast-food restaurants at gas stations and travel centers. This move could provide Tesla with licensing revenue.
Tesla ended the fourth quarter with 3,476 Supercharger locations. Not every location is suitable for a restaurant or dine-in theater, but some of the larger and busiest locations could provide Tesla with additional revenue with these additional services.
Tesla is also working to open up its Supercharger locations to other electric vehicle operators, which could lead to more traffic at the charging stations and potentially longer wait times.
The Supercharger site in Hollywood is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2022, according to a Supercharger site map.
The opening of a restaurant and movie theater at a Tesla Supercharger location could be a big event and newsworthy moment for the electric vehicle company. The opening could also boost the price of a meme cryptocurrency, as Musk has already promised that Dogecoin will be accepted as payment at diners and movie theaters.
“And of course, you can pay in Doge,” Musk tweeted.
You can not pay for your Tesla vehicle with Dogecoin, but merchandise on the company’s website can be purchased with cryptocurrency. By adding Diners and Theaters to the Tesla-related items that accept Dogecoin, the Tesla CEO would add another link to the popular cryptocurrency.
As Tesla has become a cult brand, the planned expansion into restaurant services could attract an audience that only comes to the diner to eat without charging their vehicle.
Source: Benzinga
