Rise and fall of Salt Bae’s commerical property empire
He was the quirky chef who became an internet sensation thanks to his unique style of sprinkling salt on meat and built a commercial property empire upon it.
Nusret Gokce – known to his millions of followers as Salt Bae – quickly became a celebrity in his own right and started cooking for famous faces like David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, and DJ Khaled.
While the Turkish cook went viral, so did his restaurants for their extortionate prices.
According to The Sun, Gokce’s Nurs-Et steakhouse in London charges £9 ($A18) for a single glass of coke, £100 ($A202) for a gold-gilded burger and £60 ($A121) for a single tempura roll. His monster gold-encrusted steaks are up to £1,450 ($A2,900).
In recent years, the food influencer’s fame faded and his restaurant empire began to shrink amind bad reviews and claims of wage theft.
Social media, the thing that gave Gokce everything at the height of his fame, eventualy turned on him and sent his empire spiralling.
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Nusret with his famous gold-covered steak
From his humble beginnings to becoming one of the most controversial figures in the restaurant industry, here is a look at the rise and fall of Salt Bae.
Butcher’s apprentice at 13
Gokce’s rags-to-riches story began in a poverty-stricken suburb east of Istanbul, Turkey.
He was one of five children whose miner father spent months away working.
Speaking to The Times in 2019, Gokce said he often went to school wearing shoes and shirts that didn’t fit as his parents could afford anything else.
He claims his family took him out of school so he could help earn money and at 13 he was taken on as a butcher’s apprentice.
“I woke up at six o’clock, two hours on the train commute and 30 minutes after the train in the bus,” he recalled.
“Then all day long, standing and working. No day off and no vacation.”
Nusret (centre) was born into poverty in Turkey
Gokce also worked in steakhouses, washing dishes to work his way up from the bottom.
“Since I was 14, I worked more than 13 hours a day as a kitchen runner for a butcher,” he told NBC in 2017.
“I was always wishing and wishing to open up a restaurant.”
Later he convinced a bank to lend him £2,500 ($A5,000) so he could travel to Argentina to learn about the meat trade.
After years when he claims he “worked for free” to gain experience, he returned to his home city Istanbul.
And at the age of 27, he opened his first Nusr-Et steakhouse in 2010 with just eight tables and ten employees.
After meeting Turkish businessman Ferit Sahenk, who was so impressed with his meal at the restaurant he offered to invest, Nusr-et opened various locations in the Middle East including Ankara, Doha and Dubai.
The flamboyant Turkish chef was taken on as a butcher’s apprentice at 13 because his family couldn’t afford to keep him in school
Sexiest butcher on Instagram
Gokce’s Salt Bae fame happened almost overnight in January 2017, when he posted a 36-second video called Ottoman Steak on Instagram.
The clip shows him slicing a boned steak then performing his trademark move – with his hand shaped “like a cobra” and rock salt bouncing off his arm onto the meat.
Bruno Mars tweeted the video, which instantly went viral and gained 2.4 million views overnight. It has now been viewed 17 million times.
The move – and the classic white T-shirt and black jeans that would become Salt Bae’s working uniform – was born and earned him the title “sexiest butcher on Instagram.”
“All of my feelings are coming from inside of the meat, down to when I put the salt onto the meat,” he once explained.
Salt Bae shot to fame with his signature sprinkle. Picture: Instagram
Hanging out with Beckham and captivating DiCaprio
Success meant expansion in the US, with restaurants in Dallas, Boston, Beverly Hills and New York, as well as Mykonos in Greece.
Celebrities including Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, DJ Khaled and Naomi Campbell flocked to the US outlets.
One Instagram post shows Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio captivated as his tomahawk is showered with salt by the chef.
Celebrity fans include David Beckham
Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio was fascinated by the chef’s salt sprinkle
Where are Salt Bae’s restaurants?
Gokce opened his first Nusr-Et steakhouse in Istanbul in 2010.
As the brand grew, he opened restaurants across the Middle East, including in Ankara, Doha and Dubai.
After his viral internet fame, Gokce opened a total of 13 restaurants within the year, expanding into America and Greece.
In 2021, he opened the first London branch of the chain in Knightsbridge.
In 2023 it was reported that he had been forced to reduce the high prices at his establishment in the UK capital.
Nusr-et’s restaurant locations are spread across the globe.
In 2021, he opened the first London branch of the chain in Knightsbridge. Picture: Getty
Bad reviews and wage theft accusations
The Knightsbridge restaurant has previously faced a torrent of negative reviews, with angry customers blasting Gokce as an “insult to humanity” which led to him slashing prices.
The Evening Standard’s restaurant critic Jimi Famurewa branded Nurs-Et Steakhouse London home to “the capital’s worst burger” and said the restaurant wasn’t worth the hype.
The London location is ranked 2.9 out of five based on nearly 400 reviews on TripAdvisor despite its popularity among celebrities and influencers.
The steak legend has come under fire from his own staff. In the US, he was ordered to pay £170,000 ($A345,000) to workers after being accused of withholding tips.
Nusret holding a hunk of meat covered in gold on the Greek island of Mykonos, where he has a restaurant
Salt Bae’s downfall
Gokce alsocame under fire for his antics on the pitch after the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France.
He took the trophy from centre-back Cristian Romero – breaking a key FIFA rule.
Only a select few people – including players and managers who have won it, as well as heads of state and FIFA officials – are allowed to touch the iconic trophy.
He also pestered several players for photos during the celebrations. At one stage he was seen grabbing hold of Lionel Messi by the shoulder as the star tried to shrug him off.
The chef’s behaviour prompted an internal investigation at FIFA into how he was allowed onto the pitch.
Gokce watched the Champions League final live at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
PSG stormed to a 5-0 victory against Inter Milan to claim their first Champions League title.
Gokce was subsequently banned from a number of sporting events in the US.
The chef came under fire for his antics on the pitch after the 2022 World Cup Final. Picture: Dan Mullan/Getty Images
Crumbing restaurant empire
Last month, Gokce’s UK restaurant was hit by a £5.4 million ($A10.9 million) loss just months after cutting prices as his famed steak chain closes five sites.
In recent years, the flamboyant chef was forced to pull down the shutters on the US locations.
Gokce previously sold steaks for up to £1,450 ($A2,900) at his Nurs-Et steakhouse in London with some bills at the Knightsbridge haunt exceeding an eye-watering £37,000 ($A75,000).
But the branch raked in £7 million ($A14.1 million) in its first year of trading in 2021 with sales rising to £10 million ($A20.2 million) last year.
However, their latest accounts as listed on Companies House earlier this week, revealed the company had reported losses of £5.5 million ($A11.1 million) before tax in 2024.
The company revalued its US operations by £6.6 million ($A13.3 million), listed as “exceptional expenses”.
In recent years, the flamboyant chef was forced to pull down the shutters on the US locations. Picture: Instagram
The company’s US arm, which is owned by the UK business, was forced to close one of its New York locations as well as a location in Boston last year.
Then, in January of this year, the chain closed its restaurants in Dallas and Las Vegas with its Beverley Hills site closing in June.
According to Restaurant Dive, the closures are in an effort to shift their business strategy to focus on “international growth”.
The steakhouse now just has two US locations, down from seven.
Despite the losses, the company still holds over £2.3 million ($A4.6 million) in reserves but this is down from £8.1 million ($A16.4 million) in 2023.
Salt Bae’s comeback
Despite the setbacks, Gokce continues to reinvent his brand with new ventures.
The chef recently launched Salt Bae Burger in Dubai and he reportedly is planning to open new outlets at airports and a steakhouse in Mexico City.
Parts of this story first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.
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