The 'Salt Bae' Guy Is Expanding His Restaurant Business

"Salt bae" was one of the first viral memes of 2017, and now, the Turkish restaurant owner who made salting food sexy, Nusret Gökçe, is expanding his restaurant empire.

Nicknamed "Salt Bae," Gökçe's flamboyant gestures — dramatically sprinkling salt on meat while wearing dark sunglasses and a tight, white T-shirt — have gone viral. Gökçe's international chain, Nusr-et, will open two new locations in London and New York in the coming months.

"Actually that move at the end [salting] came automatically," he told Hurriyet News, through a translator. "I did not do that to show off. It is just my signature. You can think of it a kind of final touch for a painting. It was a final touch to the meat; I was blessing the meat."

He also said that, despite being unable to speak English, he hopes to "communicate with people through meat," and to become the "world's greatest butcher."