(PHOTO: PAT GREENHOUSE/GLOBE STAFF)
Nusr-Et Boston restaurant forced to close days after the grand opening
Social media star and renowned chef Nusret Gökçe also known for his social media handle, Salt Bae, is known for his dramatic flair for preparing and serving his dishes including his signature salt pouring style. The Turkish restauranteur quickly rose to fame and started opening more restaurants around the world, including a Boston location in the US on September 18.
Salt Bae’s restaurant, Nusr-Et Boston, initially experience a booming success but is now closing only days after opening for violating several health codes related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Nusr-Et Boston was notified by Boston’s Licensing Board that they posed an “imminent threat to public health and public safety resulting from the ongoing and repeated failure to adhere to COVID-19 public safety standards,” according to reports from The Boston Globe.
Nusr-Et Boston was ordered to close on Saturday after only being open for a couple of days and the Boston Licensing Board was scheduled to conduct inspection hearings for Salt Bae’s restaurant. Investigators reported to officials that the restaurant wasn’t properly enforcing required social distancing protocols and local city councilor, Ed Flynn, will request the board to suspend Nusr-Et Boston’s license indefinitely.
The Boston Licensing Board has closed Nusr-Et Steakhouse, the third restaurant location in the United States for chef and founder Nusret Salt Bae Gökçe, until it addresses several violations issued by the Department of Inspectional Services, one week after its grand opening. pic.twitter.com/Tt1LPx9mly
— Only In Boston (@OnlyInBOS) September 28, 2020
Nusr-Et Boston is accused of several code violations and will be facing two hearing on Tuesday for its licensing. One hearing will address a fire hazard issue as two fire exits are currently blocked and the second will address the long lines outside of the restaurant that violates a state order under social distancing guidelines.
Further investigation revealed that Nusr-Et Boston did not obtain a health permit to operate among a long list of issues cited by a health inspector of the Inspectional Services Department. The ISD investigation determined that the running water for the dishwasher wasn’t hot enough and the kitchen refrigerators were too warm to properly store food.
According to the report of a follow-up inspection, a majority of the issues were fixed with the exception of the temperature of hot water needed for the dishwashers. Whether Nusr-Et Boston will re-open its doors anytime soon will be determined by the decision of the hearings on Tuesday.
