The Viral Meat-Salting Technique That Built a Restaurant Empire

Turkish butcher and restaurateur Nusret Gökçe became “Salt Bae” in January 2017 when his flamboyant meat-salting technique—slicing steak, then sprinkling salt down his forearm onto meat with theatrical flourish—went viral. The 36-second Instagram video accumulated 10+ million views in days, spawning endless memes, celebrity visits, and a global restaurant empire charging $1,000+ for gold-leaf steaks, before backlash over quality, prices, and Gökçe’s controversial behavior.

The Viral Moment

The January 7, 2017 Instagram video showed Nusret at his Istanbul restaurant cutting and seasoning Ottoman steak. The iconic moment: after slicing, he elevated his forearm, sprinkled salt cascading down to the meat below, finishing with a wrist flick. His sunglasses, tight white shirt, and exaggerated movements made it mesmerizing and memeable.

Within 48 hours, the video had millions of views. The salt-sprinkling gesture became instant meme format—people photoshopped Salt Bae into everything from sports celebrations to political moments. Celebrities posted their own salt-sprinkling attempts.

The Restaurant Empire Expansion

Pre-viral, Nusret had several successful restaurants in Turkey and Dubai. Post-viral fame accelerated expansion:

• Nusr-Et steakhouses opened in Miami (2018), New York, London, Beverly Hills
• Locations in 15+ countries by 2023
• Celebrity clientele (Leonardo DiCaprio, Cristiano Ronaldo, Drake)
• Instagram-focused dining experiences (staff trained in Salt Bae technique)

The restaurants became Instagram destinations—people paid inflated prices for opportunity to be served by Salt Bae himself or trained staff performing the signature salt move.

The Backlash & Controversies

By 2019-2020, Salt Bae faced mounting criticism:

Pricing: London Nusr-Et charged £1,450 ($1,800+) for 24-karat gold-wrapped steaks, £850 for tomahawk steaks, £100+ for sides. Bills regularly exceeded £2,000 per person. Reviews called it overpriced for mediocre quality.

Quality: Food critics panned the restaurants—fancy presentation, poor execution. Steaks oversalted (ironically), poor value versus quality steakhouses.

Behavior: Nusret faced criticism for touching Diego Maradona’s face without consent (2018), pestering Lionel Messi for photos during World Cup celebration (2022), and tone-deaf displays of wealth during economic downturns.

The 2022 World Cup Controversy

At 2022 World Cup final, Nusret infiltrated Argentina’s trophy celebration on field, pestering Messi for photos, grabbing the trophy (violating FIFA rules—only winners/heads of state may touch it), and creating uncomfortable moments captured on camera.

FIFA investigated the security breach. The incident revealed Nusret’s transformation from beloved meme to polarizing figure exploiting fame for access.

The Meme Immortality vs Brand Decline

Despite controversies, the Salt Bae gesture remained culturally iconic—the meme outlived the man’s popularity. The sprinkle technique entered sports celebrations, cooking shows, and pop culture references.

But Nusr-Et restaurants faced declining reservations by 2023, negative reviews accumulated, and the initial viral charm faded. The empire remained profitable but lost cultural cachet.

Salt Bae demonstrated how viral fame could build business empire, but sustaining it required more than memes—quality, value, and not alienating the audience that made you famous mattered.

Source: Instagram analytics, restaurant reviews, FIFA World Cup investigation