5.4 million euros in 3 months
The celebrities throw their money after the restaurateur Salt Bae – no one cares how it tastes. The main thing is that it glitters
Nusret Gökce aka Salt Bae with his signature move: the salt shaker.
© Maurizio Gambarini/dpa
The hype about Internet giants and restaurateur Nusret Gökçe aka Salt Bae is not abating. What he touches not only literally turns to gold. He rakes in millions with his steakhouses. The quality of the food hardly matters.
The man is a phenomenon. Anyone who has had internet access in recent years has seen it awkwardly throwing salt. Arm at 45 degrees, hand bent to bird’s beak, pointed fingers over elbow to flesh. This is Salt Bae’s signature move, widely copied, widely caricatured. His extravagance has made the trained butcher known all over the world. For some he is a cult figure, for others a joke. But most importantly, Salt Bae is worth millions. Nusret Gökçe, as the Turk is actually called, not only knows how to market himself in an outstanding way, but also knows how to pull the money out of the pockets of the rich and famous. And they’re literally kicking him up for it.
Gökçe operates 22 restaurants worldwide – they are gold mines. Not only, but also because there are sometimes steaks covered with 24-carat gold leaf on the menu, which celebrities lick their fingers for. Footballer Franck Ribéry was one of the first to indulge in the decadent fun in Dubai. The beauty is said to have cost him 1200 euros. Naomi Campbell and Leonardo DiCaprio, Lionel Messi and Al Pacino are also said to have eaten in one of his restaurants. The list of VIPs is long. People like to see Salt Bae, people like to see him with him.
Salt Bae: He acts like a magnet
More than 47 million people follow the restaurateur on Instagram alone. There, the man with the same sunglasses, the long, sleek hair and the swollen chest has stylized himself into a brand. He can, and does, step wide-legged. Business is good. His fame acts like a magnet. The Nusr-Et Steakhouse in London alone is said to have brought in more than 5.4 million euros in profit in the first three months of its existence, according to The Telegraph. That means a turnover of well over eight million euros. And that at a time when the industry is struggling economically. By way of comparison, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has lost almost as much as Gökçe has in the past 12 months.
Gökçe is not a man for low prices. He likes things decadent and pompous and that’s how it is in his shops. If you eat there, you can see your money running. The gilded steak is no longer on the menu there, but Wagyu steak is. That costs at least around 800 euros. Rack of lamb is available for an affordable 240 euros, the burger for a “cheap” 50 euros. Only last year did a post go viral showing a restaurant bill for almost 44,000 euros, including a baklava for around 470 euros. According to “The Telegraph”, the manager of the London steakhouse is said to have said dryly to the criticism that erupted as a result: “These prices can be found anywhere in London. The service and the quality that we offer are extremely high.”
Opinions differ as to whether the quality justifies the prices. In any case, the London restaurant was constantly being slammed by the gastro critics. And the steakhouse also gets scolding on Tripadvisor. It’s only rated 2.5 out of a possible 5 stars. There you can read comments like “Once and never again” and “Very bad. Everything”. But that doesn’t seem to be bad for business. The hype isn’t over yet.
Source: TheTelegraph, tripadvisor, The Guardians