Salt Bae fined for ‘insulting’ shop sign at Istanbul’s historic Grand Bazaar

ISTANBUL

A new Nusr-Et steak house in Istanbul, which has hit worldwide fame thanks to its eccentric founder known as “Salt Bae,” has been fined by Turkish authorities for its advertisement that was recently slammed as an “insult to history.” 

Istanbul Governor’s Office Culture and Tourism Department Director Coşkun Yılmaz announced on his Twitter account on July 23 that the Nusr-Et sign put on the front gate of Istanbul’s historic Grand Bazaar was removed after complaints.

“We have taken down the placard, which was put up by shop owners without required permits. The Fatih Municipality has also issued a fine,” Yılmaz said.

Nusr-Et’s latest venue in Istanbul was opened inside Istanbul’s 557-year-old Grand Bazaar in May.

It was blasted on social media particularly because of its large advertising billboard on the historic gate of the bazaar with many users calling it an “insult to history” and “insolence.”

Nusr-Et was made famous by butcher-turned-social media star Nusret Gökçe, who went viral under the nickname “Salt Bae” in 2017 after posting videos of himself salting meat.

Salt Bae’s distinctive cobra-like maneuver earned Gökçe millions of Instagram followers and has helped launch Nusr-Et restaurants in the Middle East, New York, and Miami.

Reuters reported this month that creditors of Doğuş, which co-owns Nusr-et restaurants, were at odds over the restructuring of nearly 2 billion euros in debt.