A Former Salt Bae Employee Says Working For Him Was Like Being In The 'Hunger Games'
If you were on social media in 2017, you probably remember the moment when Salt Bae (real name Nusret Gökçe) came into your life. Footage of the Turkish chef seductively sprinkling salt onto a steak went viral and quickly became meme gold. There was hardly a corner of the internet that was free of Salt Bae and his signature white tee and dark shades.
Viral fame soon morphed into the chef opening additional locations of his Nusr-Et luxury steakhouses around the world. Although people are still clamoring for a sprinkle from the chef, a new report from Insider shows a much darker side of Gökçe's restaurants.
Former employees of the lavish steakhouses have come forward with stories of tip theft, discrimination, and more.
One former Nusr-Et manager revealed that the man who the internet graciously dubbed Salt Bae had developed a "godlike complex."
"His world was nothing but Instagram and fame. The sensation was him. He ended up getting this godlike complex," they said.
Another employee, who admits that she was warned before joining the Nusr-Et team, recalled being on edge due to frequent and unprovoked firings.
"When you are inside, you understand. You are not relaxed. You are ready to get fired," said the former host. "You don't know if he's watching you. It's very uncomfortable to be around him."
"If he doesn't like anyone, you're done, no notice period, nothing," she added. "They tell you to leave straight away."
Even more disturbing, another former worker stated that the workplace became a place of "physical intimidation and discriminatory intimidation directed at non-Turkish employees."
Nusr-Et has been at the center of plenty of lawsuits from former employees. There was a class-action lawsuit filed against the restaurant group for illegal tip sharing, and another suit where a worker claimed they were fired in retaliation for their complaints about being required to dress seductively.
A lawyer representing Gökçe and his restaurants didn't respond to each individual claim, but did offer this statement: "The allegations are really nothing more than a re-hash of old lawsuits where the claims were disputed and have long since been settled. Unfortunately, high profile restaurants and popular chefs are often targets for salacious and meritless claims. Nusret is no different."
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