# Salt Bae > Salt Bae is Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, who became a viral meme in 2017 after flamboyantly seasoning a steak on video, spawning endless imitations and parodies. Salt Bae is the internet nickname for Turkish chef and restaurateur Nusret Gökçe, who went viral in January 2017 after posting a video of himself flamboyantly sprinkling salt over a carved steak. The clip, titled "Ottoman Steak," turned his theatrical seasoning technique into one of the most imitated memes of 2017, spawning countless parody videos and exploitable images. Beyond the meme, Gökçe parlayed his internet fame into a global chain of luxury steakhouses that drew as much attention for eye-popping prices and withering reviews as for the spectacle that made him famous. ## Origin On January 7, 2017, Gökçe uploaded a video to his restaurant's Instagram account showing him carving a steak and finishing it with his signature salt flourish, captioned "Ottoman Steak"[4]. The clip picked up over 2.4 million views and 8,700 comments within 48 hours[3]. That same day, Twitter user @lolalissaa reposted the video with the message "so this is #saltbae," coining the nickname that would stick[3]. Gökçe was already a successful restaurateur at this point. Born in 1983 in Paşalı, a village in Erzurum Province in eastern Turkey, he came from a Kurdish working-class family and dropped out of school around age 11 to apprentice at a butcher shop in Istanbul's Kadıköy district[4]. He spent years working for free in restaurants across Argentina and the United States before opening his first Nusr-Et location in Istanbul in 2010[4]. - **Platform:** Instagram (original video), Twitter (viral spread and nickname) - **Creator:** Nusret Gökçe (chef / subject / original poster), @lolalissaa (Twitter user who coined #SaltBae) - **Date:** 2017 ## Overview The Salt Bae meme centers on a specific gesture: Nusret Gökçe, dressed in a fitted white t-shirt, black vest, and round sunglasses with his hair pulled back in a ponytail, holds his hand high and lets coarse salt cascade from his fingertips, down his forearm, and onto a freshly carved steak[6]. The pose is theatrical, almost balletic, and the deadpan expression on his face while performing it is what made the whole thing irresistible to the internet. Screenshots of the salt-sprinkling moment became the go-to exploitable image, used as reaction images and object-labeling memes where the "salt" could represent anything being liberally applied to a situation[3]. ## How It Spread The meme moved fast. Also on January 7, Twitter user @elBeardedBandit posted a "You vs. The Guy She Told You Not to Worry About" image macro featuring Gökçe, which pulled in over 48,000 likes and 33,000 retweets within two days[3]. By January 8, parody videos were already flooding Twitter. User @Ratchetveli posted a video of himself making grits in the Salt Bae style with the hashtag #GritsBae, and Twitter created a Moments page titled "The world is obsessed with a Turkish meat monger"[3]. On January 9, @j.kube posted a parody where he buttered bread and sprinkled rainbow sprinkles over his forearm[3]. Major outlets piled on within the first week. The Verge, NBC News, TIME, the Wall Street Journal, NY Mag, The Telegraph, and Elite Daily all published articles about Gökçe's sudden fame[6][10][8][9]. NBC News reported that Gökçe told them "I'm the happiest man in the world" and confirmed that Leonardo DiCaprio had visited his Dubai restaurant[10]. TIME covered his plans to expand Nusr-Et to New York and London, quoting Gökçe saying he could "communicate with people through meat"[8]. NY Mag ran a full explainer on the trend, noting his Instagram had already crossed one million followers[7]. The Verge's article, published just two days after the original video, observed that the meme had already entered "the copycat phase of his meme life"[6]. Gökçe's Instagram following exploded. By 2025, the account had over 53 million followers[5]. Celebrities like Bruno Mars reposted the original video, Rihanna wore his face on a t-shirt, and DiCaprio dined at his restaurant[5][10]. ## How to Use The Salt Bae format typically works in two ways. The most common version uses a screenshot of Gökçe mid-sprinkle as an exploitable image, where the salt is labeled as something being generously applied to a situation. For example: Gökçe labeled "me," the salt labeled "hot sauce," and the steak labeled "literally any food." The second format involves recreating the salt-sprinkling pose in parody videos, applying the theatrical gesture to mundane tasks like buttering bread, seasoning ramen, or sprinkling fish food[3][6]. The key ingredients are the deadpan expression, the elevated hand position, and the casual confidence of the whole performance. ## Cultural Impact Salt Bae crossed over from meme to mainstream almost immediately. Within a week of going viral, he was covered by The Verge, NBC News, TIME, the Wall Street Journal, and NY Mag[6][10][8][7]. NBC reported that DiCaprio visited his Dubai restaurant and was "impressed with Mr. Nusret"[10]. Celebrities including Bruno Mars and Rihanna amplified his visibility[5]. The meme had political reach too. Donald Trump Jr. posted an Instagram in July 2018 portraying his father as "Freedom Bae" sprinkling freedom, captioning it "Newly discovered footage of Freedom Bae!!!"[2]. Inverse pointed out the irony of the Trump family adopting the image of a proud Turkish Muslim given the administration's immigration policies targeting Muslim communities[2]. Gökçe's restaurant empire, built directly on the meme's momentum, grew to locations across nine countries[4]. He purchased the luxury Park Hyatt Istanbul hotel for a reported €50 million in 2019[4]. He also invested in charitable work, building a school, library, guest house, mosque, English education center, and computer laboratory in his hometown of Erzurum[4]. ## Fun Facts - Gökçe's restaurant name "Nusr-Et" is a play on his first name Nusret (meaning "victory" in Turkish) with a hyphen to highlight "et," the Turkish word for meat[10]. - He was refused a U.S. visa five or six times before finally receiving a three-month visa in late 2009[10]. - He claims to have nine children[7]. - His post-viral expansion plans were justified to the press by saying he could "communicate with people through meat"[8]. - The Istanbul "Ottoman Steak" video was viewed over 16 million times on Instagram alone[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Salt Bae? Salt Bae is the internet nickname for Turkish chef Nusret Gökçe, given to him after a January 2017 video of his theatrical salt-sprinkling technique went viral on Instagram and Twitter[3][6]. ### Where did Salt Bae come from? The meme originated from a video Gökçe posted on Instagram on January 7, 2017, showing him carving a steak and sprinkling salt over his forearm onto the meat. Twitter user @lolalissaa coined the #SaltBae hashtag that same day[3]. ### What does Salt Bae mean? The name combines "salt" (his signature seasoning move) with "bae," internet slang for an attractive person or significant other. It was a playful acknowledgment of both his cooking style and his physical appeal[9][7]. ### How do you use Salt Bae? The most common format uses a screenshot of Gökçe mid-sprinkle as an exploitable image, with the "salt" labeled as whatever is being generously applied. People also recreate his pose in parody videos applying it to everyday tasks[3][6]. ### Is Salt Bae still popular? The meme peaked in early 2017 but generated fresh waves of attention through controversies, including the Maduro dinner in 2018 and the World Cup trophy incident in 2022. As of 2025, multiple U.S. restaurant locations have closed, though the brand still operates internationally[5][4]. ### Who is the real Salt Bae? Nusret Gökçe, born August 9, 1983, in Paşalı village in Erzurum Province, Turkey. He dropped out of school at age 11 to become a butcher's apprentice and worked his way up to owning a chain of luxury steakhouses[4][10]. ### How much does Salt Bae's restaurant cost? Prices vary by location but are consistently high. A viral bill from the London location in September 2021 totaled £1,812[3]. In 2024, a Dubai bill shared by Gökçe himself totaled roughly £85,000, including three gold-covered steaks at £3,300 each[1]. ### What happened with Salt Bae and the World Cup trophy? After the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, Gökçe got onto the pitch uninvited, approached Messi, posed for photos, and kissed the World Cup trophy. FIFA investigated the incident since only players and heads of state are supposed to handle the trophy[4][5]. ### Why was Salt Bae controversial for serving Maduro? In September 2018, Gökçe served Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at his Istanbul restaurant and posted video of it. Senator Marco Rubio criticized the display given Venezuela's food shortages, and protests erupted at Gökçe's Miami location[3]. ### What are the reviews of Salt Bae's restaurants like? Mostly negative from professional critics. The New York Post called his NYC location "Public Rip-off No. 1," GQ described the food as "mundane," and the Observer called the whole experience "awful"[4][1]. Eater suggested judging it as "dinner theater" rather than a steakhouse[4]. ### Did Salt Bae's employees sue him? Yes. In 2019, four former New York employees accused him of taking a share of their tips. Gökçe settled for $230,000[4]. A 2023 Business Insider investigation described working conditions as "Hunger Games-like"[5]. ### How many restaurants does Salt Bae have? As of 2025, Nusr-Et operates across Turkey (eight locations), Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, London, Mykonos, and two U.S. locations (Manhattan and Miami Beach). Planned expansions include Mexico City, Rome, Ibiza, and Milan[5]. ## References 1. [What Happened to Salt Bae? Inside His Rise and Fall]() 2. [The Donald Trump "Salt Bae" Meme Is Sadly Ironic for This Reason]() 3. [Restaurant des Internet-Memes Salt Bae musste schließen - Essen & Trinken - derStandard.at › Lifestyle]() 4. [Salt Bae - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Salt Bae - Wikipedia]() 6. [Salt Bae: The Rise and Fall of a Viral Steak Empire]() 7. [Twitter’s sensual butcher #SaltBae is already in the copycat phase of his meme life | The Verge]() 8. [Everything You Need to Know About #SaltBae]() 9. [Salt Bae Meme Chef Restaurants US, Europe | TIME]() 10. [SaltBae Is Hot AF In The Kitchen]() 11. [Meet 'Salt Bae,' the Turkish Chef Whose Signature Move Made Him an Internet Sensation]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/salt-bae Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library