Home-grown burger joint Salt is often described as the UAE's first and original food truck. But the company has confirmed to The National that it has no connection to the version launched in London's Leicester Square.
It is not the first restaurant to replicate the popular burger chain's name. While the original does have a branch in Qatar, a separate copycat version opened in Doha in 2005. That same enterprise has now taken "Salt" to London.
Overlapping names are not unusual in the restaurant business. However, the London outpost of Salt – like its counterpart in Doha – not only mirrors the UAE chain's name, but also its famed monochromatic packaging. Its Instagram logo is also the same as the original Salt's social page.
Further, the Leicester Square restaurant lists sliders as its USP and some of the dish names are exactly the same as Salt UAE, from the Chicken Cheetos and Hook sliders to the Fire fries.
Salt was launched by Emirati entrepreneur Amal Al Marri and her Saudi business partner Deem Al Bassam in Dubai in 2014.
It is widely credited for changing the pop-up scene with its #FindSalt premise. Foodies, who came to be known as "Salters", had to follow the brand’s social media in order to find the rolling food truck's location on Kite Beach and were rewarded for their efforts with signature shakes and sliders.
The Kite Beach branch has since become permanent and Salt has also opened outposts across the Emirates as well as in Saudi Arabia. The brand continues to put on creative pop-ups, including recent iterations at Museum of the Future and Louvre Abu Dhabi.
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Seating at the Salt Camp pop-up at Louvre Abu Dhabi. All photos: Khushnum Bhandari / The National -
A painting of George Washington cut out as a photo opportunity spot in one of eight tents -
Visitors can paint and draw graffiti on a camel statue -
Activities such as sand art are on offer for children -
The pop-up's theme is Art Has Left The Frame, as shown literally on the tables -
Tropical display as a tribute to Frida Kahlo -
Tribute to Banksy -
A projection of Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night -
The core with outdoor seating at Salt Camp, Louvre Abu Dhabi -
A projection of Osman Hamdi Bey's A Young Emir Studying -
The park is open from noon to 11:30pm
The Salt Camp in the capital was particularly noteworthy. Themed The Art has Left the Frame, the al fresco venue was made up of food trucks and rows of bright pink tents, each housing quirky interpretations of works by famous artists, including Vincent van Gogh and Banksy.
The National contacted Salt London for comment.
