Celebrity restaurateur Nusret Gökçe, widely known as Salt Bae, failed to block a competitor from trademarking the word “SALT” for a burger establishment in the United Kingdom, concluding a two-year intellectual property dispute. An Intellectual Property Office (IPO) tribunal in London dismissed his opposition on December 6, 2025, ruling that the use of “SALT” by a rival entity did not conflict with Gökçe’s established “Salt Bae” marks. The ruling mandates that Gökçe’s company pay £1,600 in costs to the opposing party.
UK Tribunal Rejects Salt Bae’s Opposition
The dispute originated when D Et Ve Et Ürünleri Gida Pazarlama Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Gökçe’s corporate entity, challenged applications filed by UAE-based Find Salt Owned By Independent Restaurants Management One Person Company. The rival firm sought to register various SALT marks and logos between September 2023 and February 2024. Gökçe’s side argued these registrations conflicted with his existing trademark, which features the distinctive black-and-white silhouette of the chef’s signature salt-sprinkling pose.
Hearing officer Suzanne Hitchings, in a 21-page decision, found the evidence presented by Gökçe’s team to be “unfocused.” The opposition’s basis heavily relied on press clippings detailing Salt Bae’s celebrity status and the restaurant’s media coverage—around 60 pages in total—but lacked sufficient proof that the distinctive “Salt Bae” or related imagery functioned as a primary indicator of origin, separate from the personality.
Hitchings concluded that establishment patrons do not choose Nusr-Et solely because of the logo; rather, they are drawn to the recognizable figure behind the brand. Drawing a comparison to the famous “Dr. No,” she emphasized that celebrity in one context does not confer a blanket prohibition against other businesses using similar generic terms. Consequently, the IPO ruled that the opposition failed, clearing the path for the rival SALT applications to proceed unless Gökçe successfully appeals.
Financial Context Amidst Global Realignment
The legal setback occurs as Gökçe’s UK operations face increasing financial stress. Recently filed accounts for Nusr-Et UK, which operates the Knightsbridge location, revealed a pre-tax loss of £5.4 million last year. This figure was largely driven by a significant £6.6 million impairment charge related to closures and downsizing of U.S. restaurants.
Despite the losses, sales at the high-profile London steakhouse registered a modest increase, rising by £1 million to £10 million. The establishment, famous for its polarizing menu prices—including steaks costing up to £680 and a £50 gold-plated baklava—maintained high revenue.
The company later clarified that the stated losses were primarily an accounting adjustment stemming from the U.S. impairment and did not reflect the London branch’s daily performance. When excluding the one-time write-down, the operating profit for Nusr-Et London reportedly increased by 24.6% year-on-year. Nonetheless, group reserves reportedly fell sharply, declining from £8.1 million to £2.3 million.
Globally, Gökçe’s U.S. footprint has shrunk significantly as part of a strategic “realignment,” reducing the number of locations from seven to just two—New York midtown and Miami—following closures in cities including Boston and Beverly Hills.
Since achieving global fame in 2017 for his theatrical seasoning style, Gökçe remains a divisive figure in the culinary scene. While the Knightsbridge restaurant attracts A-list celebrities like David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, it continues to grapple with highly mixed public feedback and sustained online criticism. The IPO decision marks an important limit on how extensively a celebrity chef can protect generic descriptive words in a competitive intellectual property landscape.