Tripadvisor BANS reviews for Salt Bae’s Nusr-Et London restaurant after too many negative comments written online
TRAVEL bible TripAdvisor has banned diners from leaving reviews of Salt Bae’s new London restaurant after the page was inundated with scathing reviews.
Censors have placed a temporary lockdown on the Nusr-Et page so no new posts can be published after an influx of negative reviews with some from people who've never been.
It currently has 85 reviews and a two out of five star listing for its food that includes £1,450 gold-clad steaks.
The negative write-ups meant the restaurant landed at 20,491 out of 23,811 venues in the city, and now TripAdvisor has banned people from leaving reviews on Nusr-Et’s page.
On the steakhouse’s TripAdvisor page, the site posted a message warning people they can no longer leave comments or reviews for the time being.
The message reads: “Due to a recent event that has attracted media attention and has caused an influx of review submissions that do not describe a first-hand experience, we have temporarily suspended publishing new reviews for this listing.
“If you’ve had a first-hand experience at this property, please check back soon - we’re looking forward to receiving your review!”
One review on TripAdvisor described it as an "insult to humanity".
The review reads: "Worst food, worst service, paid over £1800 for 3 of us.
"Poor quality, smelly meat, small portions, rather spend £50 in the local restaurant will be better!
"Never again! Stay away it’s a death trap!"
While another unsatisfied customer wrote: "Poor service, overpriced, bang average. You're literally just paying for the name, I didn't even realise who this was until afterwards otherwise I wouldn't have bothered.
"I find the man vulgar, embarrassing and a bit of a gimmick... who wants arm hair in their seasoning? Weird. Silly glasses and a big ego for a little pathetic man.
"I would not recommend at all, just go to any other steak house and pay normal prices and get better food."
One of the reviews focused less on the experience and more on the man himself.
The review reads: "Blokes a waste of oxygen... you create bills of £37000 for one meal... OK then you only pay your colleagues £11 an hour as a toilet cleaner "plus tips"... but who actually tips a toilet cleaner.
"You need to come back to earth Nusret Gocke. You're only a man in a meme you're not Ramsay you never will be and your ego is overinflated. Most people don't want salt off your sweaty arm.
"I would hate to work for you and I have a catering job. Domino's actually pay me better than you pay your own staff and you serve celebrities.
"Plus Ramsey, Marco Pierre White, none of these people need to rip off their customers like you do. All of them have sold food in London.
"Wake up to the real world because it doesn't have much respect for you right now."
Keep up the great act Salt Bae
Matthew H
Another customer said that the steak was worse than one you could get from Wetherspoons.
They wrote: "The only reason we came here was to prove that it's popular because of the media hype. Given only 30 minutes to finish the meal with a service that can only be described as robotic and false.
"The steak had little flavour and we've had better steaks at Wetherspoons on steak day!"
The review continued saying the experience was reminiscent of what tourists experience in Marmaris Turkey, despite the fact they've never been.
They continued: "The act that Salt Bae puts on reminded us of what people find in Marmaris Turkey (never been and won't go, know people who have) this guy reminds us of a Marmaris restaurant owner, he will try breakdancing next while cooking steak!
"The biggest act of the year and to top it off we got asked if a tip is possible by the server. When we offered £10 they refused it and shook their head.
"Keep up the great act Salt Bae."
Some customers couldn't have been happier with their experience at the luxury restaurant.
On customer said: "There is an aura around this place and it looks very exclusive from the outside. The staff are very attentive from the second you enter to the second you leave. Everything about this place is a theatre show."
Another wrote: "I couldn’t wait to visit this restaurant and wow, it lived up to my expectations. Amazing staff, food cooked to perfection. An all-around pleasing experience."
A spokesperson for TripAdvisor explained they had put a “lockdown notice” on the page, which suspends any new review submissions from being posted.
They said: “We apply lockdown notices whenever a property receives an influx of review submissions that do not describe a first-hand customer experience.
“Our review guidelines state clearly that we only accept reviews that describe the reviewer’s first-hand experience.
“For that reason, we do not allow second-hand commentary from reviewers who may have heard or read about an incident via social media or editorial media reports.
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“We will continue to monitor incoming review submissions in order to determine the most appropriate time to end the temporary suspension.
“We encourage customers who have had a first-hand experience at the restaurant to check back and submit their review when the suspension has lifted.”