Elon Musk's electric vehicle maker Tesla filed a new trademark for its brand under restaurant services, a sign the California-based company is likely to venture into the food business.
The company filed an application for three new trademarks with the US Patent and Trademark Office. It intends to use its T logo design and two other iterations of the Tesla stylised logo in the food industry.
These trademarks will cover "restaurant services, pop-up restaurant services, self-service restaurant services, take-out restaurant services", Tesla said in an application filed on May 27.
The application is pending approval and will be reviewed in August.
Tesla has expressed its intentions to get into the restaurant business in the past but has not officially commented on any forthcoming plans.
In September 2017, the company’s chief technology officer JB Straubel said Tesla aims to build out convenience stores at its supercharger stations.
"People are coming and spending 20 to 30 minutes at these stops … they want to eat, they want to have a cup of coffee and they want to use the bathroom," Mr Straubel said at FSTEC, a restaurant industry’s food technology conference.
Mr Musk indicated his intention to open a restaurant in January 2018 on Twitter.
"Old-school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla supercharger locations in Los Angeles," he tweeted.
In March 2018, the company applied for permits to construct a restaurant and a supercharger station in Santa Monica, California.
"Major new supercharger station coming to Santa Monica soon! Hoping to have 50’s diner & 100 best movie clips playing too. Thanks Santa Monica city," Mr Musk said on Twitter in April 2018.
Tesla, which dissolved its public relations department in October, relies on social media – largely Twitter – to make new announcements.