Tesla files for trademark to enter restaurant business
The application is awaiting examination and will be reviewed by an attorney in August
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is looking to enter the restaurant business, according to a new trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TSLA | TESLA INC. | 144.61 | +2.56 | +1.80% |
According to the May 27 filing, the electric vehicle manufacturer is looking to introduce restaurant services, pop-up restaurant services, self-service restaurant services and take-out restaurant services. The USPTO notes that the application is "awaiting examination" and will be reviewed by an attorney approximately three months after the filing date, or Aug. 27.
(Photo courtesy of Tesla/U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)
The application features a drawing of Tesla's iconic "T" logo, which would be trademarked for use by the restaurants. Electrek, the first to report the story, notes that the company has also recently applied for trademarks for the word and company stylizing of Tesla.
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Musk has been teasing the plans since 2018, when he tweeted "gonna put an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in LA near the 405."
In additional tweets, Musk said there would be an outdoor screen that "plays a highlight reel of the best scenes in movie history" and a touchscreen menu to order food from. The same year, an official application for a building permit was filed with the city of Santa Monica.
In April, Musk brought up the plans again in response to one user who shared a picture of a "savage line" outside of one of the company's supercharger stations in Santa Monica, California. Musk replied that a new Supercharger station was coming to Santa Monica soon, adding that he hopes to have a "50's diner & 100 best movie clips playing too."
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While Tesla does not have prior experience in the industry, it could potentially team up with an already established restaurant chain. For example, Sonic Drive-In replied to Musk's original tweets in 2018, writing "We know a thing or two about drive-ins. You bring the ride, we've got the food."
Tesla, which has dissolved its PR department, could not immediately be reached for comment.