Salt Bae's Boston Restaurant Cleared to Reopen After COVID-19 Violations

The city's licensing board over the weekend shut down the Boston steakhouse owned by the Turkish social media star known as Salt Bae

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The Boston steakhouse owned by the Turkish social media star known as Salt Bae, which was recently closed due to COVID-19 violations, has been cleared to reopen.

The city's licensing board shut down Nusr-Et Boston, which was recently opened by Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gokce, over the weekend. Officials said it 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."

Representatives for the steakhouse apologized for violating guidelines Tuesday and during a licensing board meeting, and a lawyer representing Nusr-Et Boston said the restaurant was working to come into compliance with COVID-19 guidelines.

On Thursday, the licensing board issued a "First Amended Security and Operations Plan" that the restaurant must adhere to.

Among the guidelines, the establishment must follow the Massachusetts Restaurants COVID-19 Checklist and the Massachusetts Restaurants Safety Standards, which requires six feet of separation between tables, no more than six people at a table, cleaning, disinfecting, and other hygiene protocols.

The licensing board also stated in their guidelines that while Gokce is at the Nusr-Et Boston, a manager must escort him around the restaurant "at all times to ensure compliance with the restaurant's rules and security procedures."

Restaurant staff must also make sure patrons who want to take pictures with the celebrity chef don't congregate and instead, quickly return to their seats.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NBC10 Boston/ AP
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