The Salt Bae London restaurant is making millions in profit
There may be a cost of living crisis, but it turns out people really want £600 steak: Nusr-Est, the Knightsbridge restaurant run by Salt Bae, has declared record profits.
Salt Bae went viral around the world when photos and videos of the Turkish chef, whose real name is Nusret Gökçe, salting his steaks by pouring grains of salt down the inside of his arm circulated online.
Net profits for Salt Bae’s London restaurant were £3.3 million to the year which ended 31 December 2022, new reports filed on Companies House show.
That’s a one million rise from the year before where net profit was £2.2 million.
It is estimated that about half of London restaurants close within a year of opening due to the competitive nature of the city’s dining scene, where new restaurants are launching all the time.
Nurst-Est opened in London in September 2021 adding to Gökçe – aka Salt Bae’s – portfolio of restaurants in Turkey, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and North America.
The restaurant famously serves incredibly expensive steak, including a wagyu striploin for £680.000.
Website material promises “an extraordinary gastronomy journey.”
“With a world-class meat selection and innovative approach, Nusr-Et Steakhouse opens the door to a unique culinary culture. From its starters such as Beef Carpaccio, Steak Tartar, and more to Tomahawk, Toscano, Saslık… Nusr-Et invites its guests on an extraordinary gastronomy journey.”
Critics were largely critical of the food made by ‘Salt Bae’, with one reviewer calling the restaurant “categorically bad.”
In 2022 it also ranked as one of London’s worst restaurants on TripAdvisor. Nurst-Est is rated two stars out of a potential five and 76 reviewers out of 132 called the place “terrible.”.
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