Salt Bae Net Worth, Biography, Age, Height & More

Even if you have never heard of Salt Bae, there’s a high chance that you have seen his meme. Yes, the same guy who sprinkles salt on steaks flamboyantly! That’s how he got this funny nickname, in case you’re wondering. So, who is the man behind those rounded sunglasses, and how did he become so rich and famous? 

Salt Bae is a popular Turkish chef and butcher who managed to accumulate millions of net worth through his style. He also became controversial because of his behavior at the World Cup. 

To be honest, sprinkling salt on food isn’t exactly something new in the kitchen. In fact, it’s literally one of the most basic ingredients used to add flavor, and yet Nusret Gökçe has created a whole franchise out of it.

Continue reading to discover Salt Bae’s net worth, biography, age, height, and some interesting facts that might surprise you. 

Who is Salt Bae?

Nusret Gökçe is the man behind the nickname “Salt Bae.” He got this name because of his unique style of sprinkling Salt on steaks. He became a huge Internet meme, which encouraged him to establish his restaurant empire with the chain of luxury steakhouses known as Nusr-Et. He currently owns many steakhouse restaurants around the world, including in the US, Greece, the UK, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. 

But what was unique about him? Nusret used his own style and hand-flick seasoning method to cut every customer’s steak. After cutting the meat, he served a slice into a customer’s mouth using his knife. This made him an internet celebrity! 

Salt Bae: Biography 

Nusret Gökçe was born to Turkish parents on August 9, 1983, in Erzurum, Turkey. Being a mining worker, his father struggled to provide for his family. Later, his father’s inability to pay the rent in Erzurum led to the family’s forced relocation to the seaside town of Darcia. 

Not only that, Nusret had to leave his studies behind. He attended Faik Sahenk primary school until sixth grade and eventually left and started working as a butcher’s apprentice in the Kadikoy district of Istanbul. That was the only way to save his family. Later, between 2007 and 2010, he worked in many hotels for free in countries including the USA and Argentina. 

For years, Nusret worked extremely hard until he saved enough money to fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to learn the art of butchery. By then, he had a vision of what it takes to be a good chef. With the help of investors, he opened more than forty restaurants in his country, Turkey. 

He currently lives in Macka Palace in the Sisli district of Istanbul, which he bought for  $64 million in 2022. The mansion has a huge luxury rooftop pool, gym, and spa.

Career and Professional Life 

Salt Bae quickly became passionate about chopping and cooking meat since childhood. In early 2017, Nusret shot to fame after appearing in a widely shared meme on the internet. More than 10 million people watched the original video of him when it was uploaded on January 7, 2017. 

In the clip, Nusret is shown tenderly preparing an Ottoman steak. He seasoned the meat by letting Salt run down his forearm while holding his hand in a “cobra” position. Bruno Mars tweeted the video, which immediately went viral, and Nusret became the sexiest butcher on Instagram.  

Nusr-ET Restaurants

Nusret had a dream of opening a unique restaurant. He noticed something that other steakhouses were missing. Thus, he had the idea to provide the highest-quality steaks, along with tableside service and entertaining shows. 

Nusret opened his first Steakhouse in Istanbul in 2010, with 40 seats. Luckily, it was a huge hit because of his unique cutting and serving style. Later, Nusr-ET opened multiple locations in the Middle East, such as Ankara, Doha, and Dubai, after meeting Turkish billionaire Ferit Sahenk. Ferit was so satisfied with his dinner at the restaurant that he offered to invest.

Shortly after Nusret became viral as a meme due to his unique style of seasoning, the business experienced explosive growth. Many people around the world have loved it, while others have criticized its high prices. After quickly rising to fame independently, Salt Bae began preparing meals for A-list celebrities like DJ Khaled, David Beckham, and Leonardo DiCaprio. South East Londoner Ozan Bakici was invited to one of Nusret’s restaurants after he gained notoriety for creating the first 24-carat gold cod dish in history.

Currently, the company has more than 28 restaurants worldwide, including in the United States, Abu Dhabi, London, Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Mykonos, and Turkey. Nusr-Et is the parent business of Salt Burger, Kapicciiiinoo, and Cafe di Dolce, as well as its upscale steakhouses. Nusr-Et plans to open more branches globally and hopes to have 40 by 2025.

Salt Bae: Personal Life

Ever since Nusret shot to fame, he has maintained his privacy about his personal life. He claims he has no time for a relationship, stating he is too focused on meat. 

However, there have been speculations about whether he has kids. Nusret has previously posted an image on his Instagram page showing him surrounded by nine children and a woman, whom he calls his family. But no one knows the truth yet. He rarely responds to questions about his family, either. 

In an interview, Salt Bae stated that he was single, although it’s unknown if he’s still single nowadays. You would assume that a ton of information about him and his family would be readily available, but in real life, he is just as mysterious as he appears to be in his viral videos. 

Does Salt Bae have Children? 

It seems like Salt Bae adores kids. He is photographed with nine children. Although it’s unclear if all of the children in the photograph are his, the caption for the picture he uploaded references the value of spending time with loved ones. It’s possible that he is the father of all of these, but it’s obvious that he cherishes family and has a large family. 

What is the Age of Salt Bae?

Nusret Gökçe, aka Salt Bae, was born on August 9, 1983, and is 41 years old as of 2024. His Zodiac sign is Leo. 

What is the Height and Weight of Salt Bae?

According to authentic sources, the Turkish Chef is 5 feet 5 inches tall (165 cm) and weighs approximately 65 kg (144 lbs). He has a muscular physique with six-pack abs, which he showed when he posted about his trip to Mykonos. Nusret sometimes shares his workout regime on social media, revealing that he prefers boxing and bodyweight workouts. 

What is Salt Bae’s Net Worth in 2024? 

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Salt Bae has a net worth of about $80 million. Not bad for a child who quit school to become a butcher. The viral popularity and success of his “salt sprinkle” meme increased his wealth by 3X, and he now earns $20 million annually. He has earned that kind of money because of his chain of restaurants around the world. 

Apart from this, he is also a social media influencer and earns through paid sponsorships and deals. You might not believe it, but he has around 53 million followers on Instagram. Nusret has also written three cookbooks, all of which have been a hit. 

Salt Bae’s Car collection

Salt Bae has recently bought two luxury cars, including a Rolls-Royce Cullinan and an Ultra-luxurious SUV. 

Salt Bae Controversies

Here are some of the shocking controversies related to Salt Bae:

Nusret faced backlash in December 2017 over a 2016 photo in which he copied and posed in front of a picture of the late Cuban President Fidel Castro. In September 2018, Týnuš Třešničková, a well-known Czech internet celebrity, suffered 35% of her body’s surface area burns as a result of a botched fire display at Istanbul’s Nusr-Et steakhouse. 

Several other guests also suffered a few body burns. In the same month, Senator Marco Rubio of the US and the Miami city council both chastised Gökçe after President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela dined at his Istanbul restaurant. 

World Cup

Aside from running a restaurant, he caused a stir when he joined the Argentine squad on the field following their victory in the FIFA World Cup final and started messing with the players’ medals.

Restaurant workers 

Four of Gökçe’s former workers accused him of receiving part of their tips in November 2019. They claimed that when they attempted to inquire about the tips, they were dismissed from his restaurant in New York. Gökçe settled with his former employees and paid them $230,000 before a trial to look into the matter was scheduled. “I was not satisfied with the performance of the four employees,” he claimed, explaining why he had fired them. They presented these tip allegations because they were threatened with retaliation after being sacked.” 

Why Was Salt Bae banned?

Although Salt Bae hasn’t been entirely banned from anywhere, his actions have resulted in certain restrictions. Following the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, he was criticized for breaking the rules by bothering players on the field. A ban from the US Open Cup final match followed.

Salt Bae: Profile Summary

Interesting Facts About Salt Bae 

• Nusret Gökçe is the real name behind Salt Bae. 
• Nusret moved to Istanbul with his family at the very young age of 3. 
• He started his career as a butcher when he was 12. 
• He used to work for free in many restaurants to gain experience and start his own restaurant. 
• Nusret Gökçe rose to prominence when the video of his signature seasoning move blew up online in 2017, earning him the internet moniker Salt Bae.
• The real reason behind his sprinkling salt style is that he wanted it to look like Salt was coming out of the sky, which was his golden touch. 
• He now owns a global chain of restaurants named Nusr-Et Steakhouse. 
• His restaurants are named after him. The word Nusret means victory in and of itself. However, in Turkish, “et” signifies “meat.” It’s a playful pun on the word “meat” to name his steakhouses “Nusr-Et.” 
• He is a great philanthropist who has donated millions to orphans and provided meals to over 5000 people.  
• Despite his popularity, he is the only Turkish Chef who has taken the internet by storm.
• His rival is CZN Burak or Burak Özdemir, who is also a Turkish chef known for his dazzling smile. 
• Many people have tried to mimic his salt sprinkling technique, but none has achieved the same level of recognition and success. 
• Previous employees at his restaurant have accused him of taking their tips.
• Opening his own restaurant was his dream, and he accomplished that in a short time. 
• He got a shoutout from Bruno Mars on Twitter, and this gave him more credibility on social media. 
• Salt Bae has built a school, library, mosque, and English education center in his hometown of Erzurum. 

Summary 

We covered Salt Bae’s Net worth and his story of how he gained fame. Truly, he became super famous overnight just because of his signature style of sprinkling Salt and serving steak. He now has a net worth of $80 million. His family never would have imagined that they would become so wealthy. However, Nusret’s path to becoming a celebrity was not without hardships. From a small butcher shop to being known all over the world, he’s shown that with hard work and talent, anything is possible. Unlike so many Instagram celebrities who have shown up one day and gone the next, Salt Bae is quite a genius and wildly successful. 

FAQs

1. What’s Salt Bae’s ethnicity? 

Ans: Salt was born to Turkish parents, so his ethnicity is Kurdish. 

2. What has happened to Salt Bae?

Ans: Nusret Gökçe recently came under fire for “bragging” about a $108,000 bill for a single meal at his Dubai steakhouse, and people are posting salty comments.

3. How many restaurants does Salt Bae have?

Ans: Salt Bae owns 28 Nusr-Et Steakhouse restaurants in Turkey, Greece, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. 

4. Does Salt Bae make money?

Ans: Salt Bae makes millions of dollars through its chains of Nusr-Et restaurants in various cities. Its London Steakhouse had recorded over $4.15 million in 2022 alone. 

5. What is Salt Bae’s net worth?

Ans: Salt Bae, aka Nusret Gökçe, has a net worth of $80 million as of 2024. 

6. Is Salt Bae a real chef? 

Ans: Yes, Salt Bae is the name behind Nusret Gökçe, who is a Turkish Chef, butcher, and restaurant owner.

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