Internet food sensation and restaurateur Salt Bae is being sued for withholding tips from staffers of his upscale midtown Manhattan steakhouse — and firing anyone who complains about it.
The Turkish-born butcher — known for his unique style of handling and seasoning meat — was slapped with a Manhattan federal court lawsuit Tuesday by a former waiter of the Nusr-Et Steakhouse on West 53rd Street.
The waiter, Mustafa Fteja, claims that his knife-wielding ex-boss pooled tips and then “retained the gratuities” from staffers, including anything over the automatic 18 percent service charge added to customers’ bills.
The steakhouse also shaved 3 percent off the top of tips before they were handed out at the end of the week, the lawsuit said. Fteja said tips were also unfairly pooled and shared with non-service staffers, including baristas, sushi chefs and managers.
“Customers reasonably believed 100 percent of the gratuity was being remitted to the waiters and other serving staff,” said Fteja, who is seeking class-action status on behalf of all Nusr-Et wait staff.
The fired waiter also claims that the restaurant “systematically fired each waiter who complained about not getting paid tips,” including him.
He is seeking damages in an amount to be determined at trial.
Salt Bae — whose real name is Nusret Gokce — opened the Big Apple branch of Nusr-Et last year. Despite international acclaim, New Yorkers initially bombarded him with criticism, including over the steakhouse’s prices and for using his bare hands to slice meat — in violation of New York City health codes.
The midtown restaurant, which boasts an “A” rating despite the bare-hands scare, didn’t immediately return a request for comment.