Salt Bae’s restaurant in London has reported an impressive £7 million ($8.55m) in sales in its first four months of trading despite receiving poor reviews and criticism over its prices.
All it took was one customer purchasing one of the restaurant’s gold leaf-covered steaks and a bottle of wine.
Okay, admittedly it took a little bit more than that, but the infamously high prices at the restaurant will no doubt have gone a long way in helping the Nusr-Et Steakhouse in Knightsbridge earn into the millions within its first few months.
The restaurant, owned by viral sensation Salt Bae (Nusret Gökçe), opened its doors in September 2021 before revealing its takings in a financial report filed to the UK’s Companies House.
The report revealed that the company brought in £7m in its first four months of trading, with an overall profit of £2.3m ($2.79m) in the year to December.
Nusret UK Limited, which owns the restaurant and is controlled by the Turkish conglomerate Doğuş Group, said the Knightsbridge location had ‘performed higher than the expected results’ in spite of the impacts of coronavirus on the hospitality industry.
The high earnings also come in spite of the mixed reviews the restaurant has received, with its rating on Google coming in at just 2.9 stars and a TripAdvisor rating placing it among the worst places to eat in London.
Reviews from customers have been varied, with some praising the food, atmosphere and overall experience while others just can’t get over the prices, which according to receipts shared by customers include £18 asparagus, £11 Red Bulls and a staggering £850 steak .
Are you kidding me 😳 This is the receipt from salt bae’s London restaurant. Nusr-ET in Knightsbridge, 4 Red Bulls are £44.00 and 2 cokes are £18.00
The total bill came to £1,812.40 And this place is a steakhouse 👇 But not to worry you get a complimentary, Turkish Tea 🍵😳 pic.twitter.com/ev1HE7nR2Y— Maria 💎 (@Maria_Summerz) September 28, 2021
One review from a not-so-impressed customer reads: “Bang average for what it’s supposed to be….I went with the intention of hoping I’d have at least a half decent experience. But slow service, average food, with the ridiculous price they charge for what they’re giving… in short, if you can avoid going, definitely do so.”
Another says: “Not even mentioning the money I knew where I was going but service and food are not worth it. Getting food before drinks, stake [sic] was very good but had better in GAUCHO for half the price and with better wine selection. Don’t get the fuss around this… maybe superficial reasons for the rich to feel rich. my macdonald’s [sic] after was great tho.”
Though the restaurant obviously isn’t for everyone, it’s at least received enough praise to edge it towards a three-star rating on Google, and there are a number of five-star ratings from customers who were blown away by their experiences. Plus, the report of his earnings indicates it’s not doing too badly either way, so for once Salt Bae will probably have no issue ignoring the saltiness.
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