Ariana Baio
Nov 18, 2022
content.jwplatform.com
Restauranteur Nusret Gökçe, known by his meme name Salt Bae, bragged about charging customers £140,000 for a meal leading to backlash online.
On Instagram, Gökçe, 39, posted a photo of the expensive bill from his steakhouse in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
"Quality never expensive," the internet-famous chef wrote.
The check featured items like a "golden Istanbul Sirloin" for £1,030, a "golden Ottoman steak" for £629, "golden Baklava" for £89, and still water for £10 per person.
The total came to the equivalent of £140,584.
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People on Instagram responded to Salt Bae's brag, believing the meal is overpriced.
"This is lame, that amount of money will help a whole village from dying. This is horrible," an Instagram commenter wrote.
"This is disgusting to flaunt especially with the emergence of a global cost of living crisis," another person wrote.
Gökçe opened up his first restaurant in Instanbul in 2010 then a second in Dubai in 2014.
He became an internet sensation after going viral for the unique way he prepares his meat in 2017. For some time, Salt Bae was considered the gold standard for preparing food.
But fans have become disappointed in Gökçe because of his outrageous pricing.
Last year, the restauranteur found himself in a similar situation when a bill for £37,000 at his London restaurant went viral.
Although some have defended the high prices at the Nusr-Et Steakhouses, including the manager of the London location who cited the restaurant's high-quality service.
Regardless of value, people on Instagram found Gökçe flex slightly out-of-touch given the cost of living crisis around the world.
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