The Dramatic Rise & Fall Of Salt Bae

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Nusret Gökçe, more popularly known as Salt Bae, is a Turkish restaurateur known for his flamboyant salt sprinkling. He quickly rose to fame in 2017 thanks to a meme-worthy video, but it was his unique skills and personal branding as a suave butcher who makes a performance out of slicing and filleting steaks that really established him as a foodie icon. By the time he became known as Salt Bae, he already owned a string of steakhouses in Turkey and Dubai. 

Salt Bae is proof of how internet fame can bring someone massive financial and business success. Many don't know it, but he didn't always have a lavish lifestyle. He was a hard worker who pursued his passion and worked his way up to becoming a millionaire. Sadly, Salt Bae is proof that hype alone cannot sustain a brand, and that social gaffes — such as interrupting athletes celebrating at the World Cup final with the whole world watching — can have a lasting, detrimental impact on one's reputation.

Who is Nusret Gökçe, and what happened to him after his popularity exploded? Let's walk down memory lane and recount the dramatic rise and fall of the one and only Salt Bae.

Nusret Gökçe's life is a classic rags-to-riches story. He was born in Erzurum, a historic city and provincial capital in the far east of Turkey, before relocating to Istanbul. His family was working class; his father worked in a mine, while his mother stayed at home. With five children to feed, money was tight. Young Gökçe had to quit school when he was 12 and then started working daily at 13.

Gökçe specifically worked as a butcher's apprentice, waking at 6 a.m. and commuting for 2.5 hours every day, without vacations or days off. He started as the kitchen runner, and also worked on the side as a dishwasher at steakhouses. As Gökçe worked his way up the ladder, it turned out he had great skills as a butcher, and so he was gradually entrusted with greater responsibilities.

What was once a mere means to earn money for the family became the foundation of his global brand and career. At this point, Gökçe already dreamed of opening his own restaurant. But he didn't have capital yet, and he knew he had more to learn about the trade. So he went to the bank, took out a £2,500 ($3,360) loan, and traveled abroad to study butchering in Argentina.

Nusret Gökçe went to Argentina to learn everything he could about the meat industry and practice his meat-cutting skills. He then traveled to the U.S. for three months, where, rumor has it, he worked for free at New York restaurants to gain more experience. In 2010, he managed to open his first steakhouse in Istanbul, which he named Nusr-Et. According to NBC, Gökçe inserted the hyphen in his name to emphasize "et," which means "meat" in Turkish.

The restaurant had 10 employees, eight tables, and a simple menu that offered meats and side dishes. Nothing remarkable on the surface, except for Gökçe himself. Unlike most butchers who stay in the kitchens all day, Gökçe also worked at the front of the house to personally serve the guests. Displaying knife skills he practiced throughout his travels and a showmanship polished with experience, he would perform a short presentation of cutting the steaks before his diners.

It was Gökçe's personal touch that set his restaurant apart from the rest. "For me, butchery has always been about precision, creativity, and passion," he told US Weekly, adding, "My dream was to create something I could call my own. I wanted a place where every detail — the quality of the meat, the service, and the experience — was exceptional." Clearly, this dream became the blueprint for Gökçe's restaurant empire and the Salt Bae brand.

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The success of Nusret Gökçe's first restaurant is impressive considering many ventures close within the first three to five years. Fortunately for Gökçe, his restaurant didn't just attract a steady stream of curious new customers and repeat guests. He also found an investor.

Ferit Sahenk is a prominent businessman and billionaire who chairs Doğuş Holding, a Turkish conglomerate with major investments in various industries. He was so impressed with Nusr-Et and Gökçe that he offered to invest in the restaurant's expansion. Gökçe signed on to D.ream (Doğuş Restaurant Entertainment and Management) International in 2012, and just two years later, opened Nusr-Et's first international location in Dubai.

The next few years became a whirlwind of rapid business expansion and growing fame for Nusret Gökçe. He opened more restaurants in Ankara, then in Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai. But his eyes were also set on New York. "It shows that I'm an international brand if I open up in New York," he told NBC News. By 2017, the charismatic butcher who grew up in poverty was the face of an international restaurant chain. At this point, his business had 600 employees, including his four brothers. But Gökçe himself couldn't have predicted that something bigger was about to happen that would propel his business even higher.

In January 2017, Nusret Gökçe uploaded a 35-second video on Instagram that he simply captioned, "Ottoman steak." It was a typical video showing him, in his usual flamboyant manner, slicing a slab of steak in the outdoor seating area of one of his restaurants. The steak itself looked delicious, clearly tender. Towards the end of the video, Gökçe grabs a large pinch of salt flakes, tucks his wrist in like a duck beak, then sprinkles the salt from the tips of his fingertips. The salt bounces off his forearm, although we don't actually see the salt land on the steak because the camera stays focused on the suave butcher.

This was the birth of the man the Internet dubbed Salt Bae. The Instagram video gained 2.4 million views and over 8,000 comments in just two days. It also ended up on X, then known as Twitter, and Facebook, and became a viral hit across social media in general.

Many found Gökçe amusing. Some focused more on his appearance, while others acknowledged the skillful way he handled his knife. The stance may look funny if performed by an amateur, but Gökçe commits to the character, so the entire presentation comes across as campy. Salt Bae became a meme that inspired numerous humorous parodies and a salt-sprinkling trend that went down in pop culture history.

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As Nusret Gökçe's internet persona took on a life of its own and he gained worldwide fame as Salt Bae, he continued to grow his restaurant empire with his partners at D.ream International. In 2017, he set up his U.S. headquarters in Miami, which also became the home of the country's first Nusr-Et restaurant. Three months later, he checked off another major goal and opened a second flagship restaurant in New York.

The next few years saw additional locations opening in Beverly Hills, Dallas, Boston, as well as Mykonos, Greece, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. By late 2023, Gökçe had 28 operating restaurants with almost 2,000 employees. Revenue went up by 57%, boosted largely by the U.S. restaurants, which saw a 38% increase in earnings, according to FSR Magazine.

Gökçe and his partners also made the most of his Salt Bae fame. They started a brand-new, fast-casual burger chain, Salt Bae Burger. Unlike Nusr-Et Steakhouse, which served expensive, giant slabs of premium-quality steaks to high-profile guests, Salt Bae Burger offers a more approachable menu, which features the likes of juicy burgers, fries, rib-eyes, shakes, and desserts. This new venture gave Gökçe the opportunity to reach out to market demographics beyond the high-income crowd.

Nusr-Et Steakhouse restaurants became instant hotspots for locals and tourists. Gökçe would travel year-round to attend the opening of a new location or to visit his flagship restaurants in the likes of Dubai, New York, and Istanbul. In every restaurant he would visit, he would often slice and present the steaks ordered by the diners, just as he had always done before. Gökçe is the main attraction at his restaurants, and the possibility of taking a video or photo with him is one of the reasons people choose to eat at Nusr-Et.

But it's not just the general public who wants to see Salt Bae sprinkle salt on a $1,000 steak. Major athletes, wealthy influencers, Hollywood actors and producers, politicians, and even royalty dine in his restaurants. His famous clientele includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jason Statham, Naomi Campbell, Snoop Dogg, Drake, and Rihanna.

Athletes are also a common sight at locations such as Nusr-Et Dubai and Doha. Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba, Diego Maradona, Kylian Mbappé, and Mikel Arteta have all dined there, while David Beckham and his children visited Nusr-Et Steakhouse in New York. In Mykonos, Andrea Bocelli sang beside a tong-holding Gökçe, and in Miami, Gökçe provided the steaks for DJ Khaled and his VIP guests during the former's birthday bash. Salt Bae was on top of the world. Unfortunately, when one reaches a peak, the next step forward usually leads downwards.

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As Nusret Gökçe's restaurant empire grew, so did the scrutiny on the quality and flavor of his food. Are Salt Bae's steaks really as good as the celebrities say they are? Unfortunately, the food critics said no, with many concluding that Salt Bae's restaurants are obscenely expensive.

At the New York opening in 2018, GQ reported that a $130 Ottoman steak turned out tough and bland, the hamburger was overcooked, and the tartare prepared tableside was minced to within an inch of its life. Others complained about flavorless wagyu and a disappointing Istanbul steak, while the London location of Nusr-Et — which has just 2.8 stars on Tripadvisor — drew complaints about its burger and beef carpaccio.

Nusr-Et steaks may be passable, but outrageous prices inspire expectations beyond well-cooked meat. At its New York location, a wagyu filet mignon will set you back $73, while the gold leaf-coated tomahawk is an eye-watering $950. But it would seem that without the much-touted Salt Bae experience, Nusr-Et is just like any regular steakhouse. With the restaurant's menu panned by critics and its outrageous prices drawing flak from the public, this period marked the beginning of Salt Bae's fall.

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While Salt Bae basked in the glory of becoming an internet sensation, he also faced numerous legal battles with former employees. In 2019, several servers at Nusret Gökçe's Miami restaurant united for a class action suit against the management. The restaurant allegedly split the tips servers received from customers with the non-tipped employees of the restaurant. A similar lawsuit was also filed by four former servers in New York, who accused Nusr-Et of skimming 3% of all tips, and then splitting the remainder with front- and back-of-house employees. Gökçe paid a $230,000 settlement in 2021.

More labor lawsuits came after that. One accused Gökçe of misclassifying staff as exempt employees, which meant they received a fixed weekly salary and did not receive overtime pay despite being forced to work longer hours. Former employees have described Nusr-Et restaurants as disorganized, toxic, hostile, and exploitative. Gökçe was allegedly an aggressive manager who cursed at employees and fostered a culture that meted out harsh penalties for mistakes (one waitress's tips were deducted $140 after she brought a takeout bag to the wrong table).

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Any die-hard soccer fan would envy Gökçe. With his wealth, influence, and friendships with the managers and owners of some of the biggest soccer teams in the world, he is often a VIP guest at prominent soccer matches. But his actions at the 2022 FIFA World Cup final angered sports fans around the world.

After Argentina's players, managers, and staff raced onto the field to celebrate their victory over France, a man in a tan suit and glasses was suddenly seen mingling with the group. He kept inserting himself amongst hugging players, holding up his phone for a selfie or nudging players to pose for the camera. Upon closer inspection, many realized this wasn't a FIFA official or a family member of the Argentine players. It was Salt Bae, and he had the audacity to grab the World Cup trophy, kiss it, and mime sprinkling salt over it. He also secured a photo with Lionel Messi, but videos showed the former looking annoyed at Gökçe's insistence on the photo op.

FIFA has strict rules on who can be on the field. Gökçe was never supposed to be there, and he definitely wasn't allowed to touch the trophy. FIFA was forced to investigate the issue as videos of Gökçe went viral. "The appropriate internal action will be taken," the organization said (via The Guardian).

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The fame and clout that come with becoming an overnight internet sensation have given Nusret Gökçe a huge advantage. However, hype can only do so much if the food and service fail to meet expectations. In Nusr-Et's case, the novelty of being served by a living, breathing meme eventually loses its appeal. As restaurant critics pointed out, there's not much left to excite a diner after Salt Bae finishes his 30-second tableside performance — if he's even there at all.

These factors, among others, led to a steady decline for several of Gökçe's restaurants. Salt Bae Burger in Manhattan closed after just three years. Another branch was supposed to open in Los Angeles, but plans never came to fruition. By June 2025, five Nusr-Et restaurants had closed in the U.S., leaving the New York and Miami flagships as the only remaining Salt Bae restaurants in the U.S. Salt Bae's restaurant in London still attracts celebrities, influencers, and tourists. However, it was hit by a £5.5 million loss in 2024, as per The Sun. It bears mentioning that it also slashed its menu prices in July 2023 after receiving massive backlash from customers for its lack of affordability.

Nusr-Et is currently down to 17 restaurants, a disappointing step down from its 31 units in 2024. However, plans are underway for new locations in Mexico City and Ibiza, plus another restaurant in Dubai. Time will tell if these new units are more successful.

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In December 2025, Nusret Gökçe lost a two-year battle to block a competitor's trademark application in the U.K. for the word "SALT." Gökçe's camp argued that "salt" is inextricably linked to Salt Bae and that there's a high chance customers would associate the competitor with Gökçe's brand.

Unfortunately for Gökçe, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) did not agree. The ruling officer was unconvinced by the 60-page evidence consisting of newspaper clippings hyping the Salt Bae phenomenon and logo, noting that "salt" is too common a word and no level of fame grants exclusive use of it to one entity. She rejected Gökçe's petition to block the competitor's trademark and logo, and ordered him to pay the other party £1,600 in legal costs. Later, Gökçe did enjoy a victory with the European Union IPO, which ruled in his favor in a similar trademark dispute, meaning a competitor could not use its intended name and logo anywhere else in the EU.

Despite winning one legal battle, the fact remains that Gökçe has fewer restaurants today than he had two years ago. His reputation has taken a beating, and he has more to prove in the culinary world. It appears that Salt Bae is now past his peak, but who knows: He might just pull off another dramatic ascent worthy of a follow-up feature.