SALT Bae’s UK restaurant has been hit by a £5.4 million loss just months after cutting prices as his famed steak chain closes five sites.
The flamboyant chef with his signature salt-sprinkling style has been forced to pulled down the shutters on the US locations in recent years.
Salt Bae’s UK restaurant has been hit by a £5.4 million loss[/caption]
His restaurants around the globe have regularly welcomed the rich and famous[/caption]
Salt Bae, real name Nusret Gökçe, went viral on social media in 2017[/caption]
The Turk – whose real name Nusret Gökçe – went viral from 2017, as did his restaurants with their extortionate prices.
Salt Bae previously sold steaks for up to £1,450 at his Nurs-Et steakhouse in London with some bills at the Knightsbridge haunt exceeding an eye-watering £37,000.
But the branch raked in £7 million in its first year of trading in 2021 with sales rising to £10 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 before tax in 2024.
It comes after the company re-valued its US operations by £6.6 million, listed as “exceptional expenses”.
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 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 in reserves but this is down from £8.1 million in 2023.
Gökçe has a number of other restaurants dotted around the globe including in Milan, Turkey and the Middle East.
The Knigtsbridge restaurant has previously faced a torrent of negative reviews, with angry customers blasting him as an “insult to humanity” which led to him slashing prices.
The London location is ranked 2.9 out of five based on nearly 400 reviews on TripAdvisor despite its popularity among celebrities and influencers.
Gökçe became famous at the start on the 2017 when he became the subject of a viral internet meme.
The star rose to prominence from a series of viral clip and memes that showed him cutting meat and sprinkling salt in what is now his signature style.
The original video of him received more than 10 million views on Instagram where he was lovingly preparing an Ottoman steak.
He quickly became a celebrity in his own right and started cooking for famous faces such as David Beckham and Leonardo DiCaprio, amongst others.
He currently has 52.4 million followers on Instagram.
In June this year, he denied that he was kicked out of Paris St. Germain’s Champions League celebration as he appeared to be escorted away.
Salt Bae also came under fire for his antics on the pitch after the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France.
He also pestered several players for photos during the celebrations.
The chef came under fire for his antics on the pitch after the 2022 World Cup Final[/caption]
His London restaurant is rated 2.9 out of five on Tripadvisor[/caption]
