Update: CZN Burak reopened on Sunday, issuing a statement explaining the shutdown.
World-famous Turkish restaurant CZN Burak seems to have been abruptly closed by the Dubai government for failing to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions.
On Friday evening, the Dubai Media Office reported that the Dubai Municipality, in cooperation with Dubai Department of Economic Development and Dubai Tourism “closes a famous restaurant in Dubai for not adhering to Covid-19 precautionary measures,” on Twitter.
.@DMunicipality, in cooperation with @Dubai_DED & @dubaitourism, closes a famous restaurant in #Dubai for not adhering to Covid-19 precautionary measure. pic.twitter.com/ZLAidYgyEY
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) February 12, 2021
The photos included in the post blurred, but seem to include the chairs matching those at CZN Burak.
A source confirmed the story to Esquire Middle East. The closing has not been announced officially, nor confirmed by the restaurant publicly.
Customers on social media who tried to visit the “no booking” restaurant on Friday commented on the restaurant’s Instagram account.
“U were closed today and no announcement to customers, just wasted time getting to you and parking, guys,” wrote @krissy_b_g.
Burak Özedmir, the celebrity chef and co-owner of the restaurant who has amassed more than 20 million followers on Instagram for viral food videos featuring his trademark smiling face, has continued posting on Instagram, with his restaurant continuing to share videos of Burak himself cooking in the kitchen, though it is unclear when the videos were taken.
Turkish restaurant
CZNBurak opens in Downtown Dubaihttps://t.co/Eu9E0Hhm5v pic.twitter.com/nqTQeTGCAk— Time Out Dubai (@TimeOutDubai) December 24, 2020
CZN Burak has been a huge success story since opening two months ago, serving more than 45,000 customers in its first month, including celebrities such as footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and actor Steven Segal.
The restaurant is a collaboration between Özedmir and Dives Holding. The restaurant has a seating capacity of 600 during COVID-19 restrictions which was planned to expand to 1200 once COVID-19 restrictions ended. It also reportedly has the biggest oven in the GCC.
Özedmir and Dives Holding have plans to open CZN Burger in Dubai Mall in the near future.
With COVID-19 cases still elevated, Dubai has introduce a raft of safety measures and restrictions in addition to those that have already been in place, reducing capacities in many public facilities such as malls, movie theatres and beaches, and closing pubs and bars for the entirety of February.
If true, this would not be not the first time Dubai has closed a restaurant for failing to adhere to COVID-19 restrictions. Five restaurants were shut down three weeks ago after investigations by authorities found them to be skirting the rules.
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