Celebrity Chef-Led Saltbae Burger Opens 1st Airport Location, Plans Future Growth

25.11.2023 - 20:39 / forbes.com

Turkish celebrity chef and entrepreneur Nusret Gökçe is breaking records again by opening his first Saltbae Burger restaurant at Istanbul International Airport (also referred to as Istanbul Grand Airport). Opened this past week with seating for nearly 200 people, it becomes one of the largest restaurants at the airport. The new outlet is just one part of a master strategy to grow the brand, a disrupter in the fast-casual burger category, internationally. Around 40 new locations are in the works, including about ten in major global airports.

This is not the first time a celebrity chef or well-known eatery brings its dining concept to an airport. In fact, airports worldwide are experiencing a boom in fine dining options that are reflective of the destinations they serve. While airport and airline lounges are always appealing, the idea of sitting down to a pre-flight gourmet meal is catching on quickly.

Saltbae Burger is just one of the restaurants in the Nusr-Et family of brands (the hyphen was added by the chef himself as a play on his name as well as the Turkish word for meat, “et”). Another well-known name under his collection is Nusret Steakhouse, a high-end steak restaurant akin to Morton’s, but with far more dramatic flair and entertainment.

It’s not only about the meal, but the performance of it all from the food’s presentation to staff to the DJ and staff interaction. With this proposed expansion for Saltbae Burger, it signals a new chapter for the culinary powerhouse as it plans to overhaul its menus, beverage lists and even music at restaurants around the world.

The airport outlets are just one component of this initiative, but an important one as it will introduce the brand to more people on a global scale.

Ask anyone about famous consumer brands that hail from Turkey, and they will likely mention Turkish Airlines, but foodies will immediately point to Nusr-Et. With locations across the globe including New York, Las Vegas, Miami, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Dubai, Bodrum and Mykonos among others, both the fine dining Nusr-Et Steakhouse and more casual, high-end fare of Saltbae Burger are well-liked.

Not everyone lives near one of its locations, however, and not everyone will have had the chance to travel to Turkey to see the chef in action, either.

The brand was born after a youthful Gökçe had to leave school after sixth grade to help support his family by becoming an apprentice in a butcher shop. This decision as the beginning of a successful career that has been on the rise ever since. He has honed his craft through decades of practice, including stints in Argentina and the United States (despite being turned down for an American visa multiple times before finally getting one for a three-month