Marketing is everything. And when Salt Bae (real name: Nusret Gökçe) achieved international stardom as a celebrity chef/internet personality, his eponymous Nusr-Et restaurant franchise was suddenly handed a golden ticket to justify charging exorbitant prices for golden tomahawk steaks… Almost entirely on the basis of meme novelty alone.
Back in 2021, an itemised receipt from Miami’s Nusr-Et restaurant was circulated on Twitter, earning Salt Bae some more viral fame; albeit for a far less charming reason. For six guests, the total came to an eyebrow-raising US$6,228.05. That’s roughly US$1,038 a person.
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Here’s what the damage looked like after dessert was served (USD):
- 2 x Meat Sushi — $60 ($30 each)
- 2 x Burrata — $60 ($30 each)
- 4 x #SaltBae Passion — $120 ($30 each)
- 2 x Voss Still — $20 ($10 each)
- 6 x Johnnie Walker Blue — $552 ($92 each)
- 1 x Sprite — $10
- 2 x Spaghetti — $160 ($80 each)
- 2 x French Fries — $30 ($15 each)
- 2 x Mashed Potatoes — $38 ($19 each)
- 2 x Spinach — $38 ($19 each)
- 2 x Sweet Corns — $38 ($19 each)
- 2 x 1 Lokum — $160 ($80 each)
- 2 x Istanbul Sirloin — $200 ($100 each)
- 1 x Tomahawk — $275
- 1 x Golden Tomahawk — $1,000
- 1 x Sirt for 3 — $220
- 2 x Golden Baklava — $130 ($65 each)
- 1 x Espresso — $5.95
- 1 x Tropical Green — $5.95
- 1 x Vin Dore 24K Gold de Brut — $1,500
Subtotal: $4,942.90
Tax: $395.43
Service Charge (18%): $889.72
Total Due: $6,228.05
Naturally, the internet had a few opinions to share about these controversial Nusr-Et restaurant prices, dictated by Salt Bae himself.
“A $900 service charge!? And you think I’m not [going to] have my man feed me [because] of socials? Salt Bae better just slide that meat down my throat.”
“Man, [I don’t care] how much money I have… I got food at home.”
“All that overcharging, then hitting [them] with the mandatory $890 tip. Oof.”
“I mind the $10 Sprite and $15 fries more than I even mind the $1,000 steak.”
“What if ‘#SaltBae Passion’ is when you let him put the meat in your mouth.”
As some were quick to point out, despite how ridiculous the pricing is, whoever shared their Saturday evening bill can obviously afford it, and let’s be honest: if you’re ordering Johnnie Walker Blue with golden steaks in addition to perfectly regular steaks, you high-key deserve to be rinsed.
Months later, Salt Bae enjoyed a renewed sense of infamy thanks to his London restaurant prices. While the total was a little less ridiculous this time around, the latest itemised bill from the Turkish restauranteur’s then-newly-opened UK location raised eyebrows nonetheless.
Similar to the previous reveal, some of the orders left many wondering what the patrons were thinking when they ordered four Red Bulls at dinner and a Virgin Mojito. As one does…
Here’s a breakdown of the damage on this occasion (£):
- 1 x Burrata — £25
- 1 x Nusret Salad — £23
- 2 x Nusret Sushi — £46 (£23 each)
- 2 x Prawn Tempura Roll — £60 (£30 each)
- 1 x Giant Tomahawk — £630
- 1 x Kafes — £200
- 1 x Onion Flower — £18
- 1 x Herb Crusted Fries — £10
- 1 x Sweet Corn — £12
- 1 x Golden Burger — £100
- 1 x Asado for two — £120
- 1 x Nusret Baklava — £44
- 4 x Double Patron Coffee — £80 (£20 each)
- 4 x Double Grey Goose — £72 (£18 each)
- 2 x Coca Cola — £18 (£9 each)
- 2 x Coca Cola Light — £18 (£9 each)
- 4 x Red Bull — £44 (£11 each)
- 1 x Virgin Mojito — £11
- 1 x Eira Still — £9
- 1 x Elvira — £18
- 1 x Nusret Godfather — £18
- 6 x Turkish Tea — £0
Subtotal: £1,576
Service Charge (15%): £236.40
Total Due: £1,812.40
For two guests, we’re looking at £1,812.40. That’s roughly £906 a person.
Since then, however, Salt Bae’s London spot has adjusted its prices to address the criticisms. Either that or they quickly realised nobody was willing to cough up that much cash for what has been described as “bland hospital food” by some.
Nowadays, you can indulge in a slightly more modest set lunch menu for as low as £39 per person, available on weekdays from 12 PM to 5 PM; as well as burger and fries for a still-ridiculous-but-somehow-improved £45, a taco burger for £25, and four bits of sushi for £23 to £28. Lol.
This comes as Salt Bae Burger, the Manhattan-based eatery once dubbed the “worst restaurant in New York City” renowned for being home to low-quality, gold-flecked milkshakes and burgers priced at $100 each, closes down. The defunct outpost claims moving to a “new location” where a Nusr-Et Steakhouse currently occupies — meaning it’s pretty much packing up shop to charge the same menu at a pre-existing joint (with additional outposts to potentially follow suit).
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But regardless of what you may think about the bloke — whose public image has been taking hit after hit for the worse lately (e.g. 2022 FIFA World Cup/Lionel Messi debacle; multiple sexual harassment and wage theft lawsuits) — there’s simply no denying Nusret Gökçe has come a long way from being a 6th-grade dropout turned impoverished butcher’s apprentice.
Opening the doors to his first restaurant in Istanbul, Turkey in 2010 before establishing a second venue in Dubai circa 2014, in present-day, Salt Bae is the proud owner of 22 Nusr-Et locations around the world — at one point approaching a $2 billion total valuation.
At the time of this writing, Salt Bae (real name: Nusret Gökçe) has an estimated net worth of roughly $100 million.
