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Dinner and a charge for that electric vehicle may be in the not-so-distant future for Tesla owners.
That is if a set of trademarks applications — and lots of prior hints by chief Elon Musk — have any meat on them. The company last week filed for trademarks involving its name to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office covering the “categories of restaurant services, pop-up restaurant services, self-service restaurant services, take-out restaurant services.”
Tesla applied for three separate trademarks — for the name Tesla, the “T” logo and finally the unique styling of the company’s name. News of the patent first surfaced earlier this week on electric-vehicle news site Electrek.
The influential Musk has spoken of his desire to offer some nostalgic dining in the past. In January 2018, he tweeted about putting “an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant” at Superchargers in Los Angeles, and shared more ideas in subsequent tweets.
Electrek reported in March 2018 that Tesla had indeed applied for permits for a restaurant and charging station in Santa Monica. The plan didn’t appear to go anywhere for a few years, but then in April of this year, Musk insisted it was still on the cards, in a tweet responding to a complaint about long lines at charging stations.
How long will fans have to wait for Musk’s diner dreamchild? Josiah Citrin, the founder of Citrin Hospitality told Bloomberg that even if Tesla gets those trademark patents, the right permits take months, with Santa Monica no exception. A Tesla spokesperson couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
Best eat something in the meantime.
