Salt Bae Burger, a burger outlet owned by the famous Turkish Internet sensation, Nusret Gökçe, nicknamed Salt Bae, just got closed three years after being labeled as the “worst restaurant” in the city!
Raise your right hand, touch your thumb to your pointer finger, arch your wrist down, and now make those fingers dance to sprinkle salt over the food!! For years, that’s been the winning formula behind Nusret Gökçe’s international chain of steakhouses, Nusr-Et. But he met with a misfortune when his burger outlet, Salt Bae Burger, in New York City, got closed recently! Keep reading to find out why!
Some Back Story!..
Back in 2017, a Turkish butcher, chef, and food entertainer, Nusret Gökçe, nicknamed Salt Bae, became a viral internet meme because of his technique for preparing and seasoning meat. In late February 2020, Salt Bae opened a burger outlet in a city that’s hooked on finding the best burger possible; yes, it’s New York City!
Why Salt Bae Burger Got Closed?
This burger chain, which was a follow-up to Nusr-Et Steakhouse, was on Park Avenue and had a bumpy ride since the start. Salt Bae’s bad luck was that when the outlet opened in late February, the city went into pandemic lockdown just after that!
Also, it was accused of “sexist” behaviour as the restaurant offered a free, appetizer-sized veggie “ladies burger” in pink buns to women only. The restaurant’s general manager, Al Avci, said that they wanted to compliment the ladies and that this stunt worked pretty well in Dubai, at Salt Bae’s first outlet, and they didn’t think it would be sexist.
Did you know that in 2018, only a year after gaining internet fame, Salt Bae was able to open his restaurant’s first branch in the US? According to an online source, his net worth is estimated at 75 million dollars.
Salt Bae’s restaurant has more than 20 outlets all over the world, but Salt Bae Burger didn’t witness much success! The restaurant was also slammed as having ‘all the charm of an airplane hangar’, with many critics saying its food was overpriced and tasteless.
According to a food critic at Gothamist, the famous newsroom, it was also branded as the ‘worst restaurant’ in New York City.
Why Did Salt Bae Start Wearing Gloves?
Did you know that when Salt Bae made his way to the U.S., many people questioned his tactics, particularly from the health department, because it is a health code violation for restaurants to handle ready-to-eat food with their bare hands.
So, right after this thing started becoming a hype, Mr Gokce was spotted wearing black disposable gloves at freshly-opened Manhattan Nusr-et Steakhouse, still approaching customer tables and doing his performance art, but this time with gloves.
You Can Still Eat Anything From Salt Bae Burger’s Menu..
But don’t worry, in case you’ve been a fan of his burgers, we come bearing a solution. Eater.com published that according to a spokesperson for the brand, a DA sign on the door claims the business is “moving to a new location” at 412 West 15th Street, near Ninth Avenue, in the Meatpacking District. This address belongs to a location of Nusr-Et Steakhouse, which will continue to serve the burger chain’s menu!
Did you know that Salt Bae Burger also used to sell a $99 gold-flecked milkshake and the $100 Gold Burger, which was encased in gold foil?
How Salt Bae Burger’s Interior Looked Like..
If you didn’t have a chance to visit the Salt Bae Burger, let us tell you that it was more like a Salt Bae theme park, where there were images everywhere of Gökçe doing his Salt Bae thing. These images included drawings, photographs, and light sculptures. However, when around, he used to be more than happy to pose for however many pictures you wanted to take.
Conclusion
Summing it up, although Salt Bae is no more of a sensation, the Turkish chef keeps on experimenting, and who knows where we’ll find him sprinkling the salt next! Now that his NYC burger outlet is closed, the title of New York’s best – and worst – burger is again up for grabs.