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Master Bedri started making kebabs at the age of 7. He slept on the streets, established his own business, and managed to make his name known nationwide with his work. He was a man who desired to spread to the world, saying it wasn't finished yet. Although he has accomplished tasks that can truly be called difficult to date, holding onto life tightly and achieving success, this time his name is being remembered in a way that is worse than ever before. The reasons are in detail in this video. The Bedri Usta incident and the short story of Master Bedri are on the agenda this week in brand stories. First, let me say this. At the end of this video, I will recommend a kebab master to you, and this will be the most meaningful recommendation you have received since you started watching this channel. Regarding the story of Master Bedri, whose real name is Bedrettin Aydoğdu, there is a short paragraph on his own website. According to the information there, he was born in 1970 in the village of Altıyol in Mardin. Bedrettin Aydoğdu, one of eight siblings, came to Adana at the age of 7. He was introduced to kebab making there and, because his path crossed with this sector from a very young age, he was known by those around him as a born kebab maker. He also went behind the grill, set up stalls on the streets, and established his own business. We can call this a summary of a summary. For more details about the story, I watched some video interviews of Master Bedri. Interviews from the Chef Story channel and the Mekanın Sahibine Geldik channel. There are also additional pieces of information he shared there. I mentioned he came to Adana at the age of 7. The specific reason for coming to Adana was that he had relatives there. His father sent his son there so he could start working at that age. Consequently, while his peers were focusing on books and studies, Master Bedri was at the counter. Naturally, he didn't set out with the desire to become a kebab maker. The flow of events led him there. If his relative had been doing a different job, he might have had a completely different career. Little Bedri, at the age of 7, might have been short in stature, but he was very capable of learning tasks bigger than his size. He started by peeling onions and washing dishes. He learned a lot from his masters. In his interviews, he says that his masters taught them not only the profession but also business ethics and humanity. In Adana, in the Hürriyet Neighborhood, there are houses where seasonal workers generally stay. One of them is Hacu's house. Little Bedri started staying in these houses so as not to be a burden to his relatives. Those staying in this house were given a sponge to sleep on and a blanket to cover themselves with. There wasn't even a pillow. For this reason, he says, we would turn our own trousers and shirts into pillows and sleep on them. 10 people would stay together in one room. He spent some time like this, and after a while, his family came to Adana. When he rejoined his family, warm meals and a fragrant bed awaited him. He also brought the money he earned and gave it to his father. At the age of 10, his new destination was Istanbul, where the earth was said to be gold. Even if the earth was gold, sleeping on that earth was difficult, of course. However, his initial period was necessarily like this, and he stayed on the streets. His situation at that time was akin to İlyas Salma, the banker Boda, who was left alone in Istanbul. One day, he saw an advertisement in Laleli for a kebab maker to be hired. Although he was only 10 years old at the time, he had great confidence in himself because he had been experienced since the age of 7. He said, "I can make the king of kebabs in this shop." He went in and said they needed a master. However, as those outside would not be surprised, he received the reply, "What good is it if you are a master all over?" Three days later, he entered the same place, this time as a dishwasher. This was actually a door-opening technique for him. His thought was: If the kebab master leaves the job later, maybe they will try me. Indeed, after a while, the kebab master left the job. When he said he wanted to be a master, the people in the shop, of course, didn't believe him again. But this time, they gave this 10-year-old child a chance, and that child proved them right with the kebabs he made. This child, who literally took on tasks beyond his reach, not figuratively, had crates placed under him so that he could reach the counter. He continued to stay on the streets in Istanbul for a while longer. One day, as part of a television program, interviews were conducted with homeless people living on the streets. A microphone was extended to them. Since he was also staying with the homeless, he was one of the people to whom the microphone was extended. His family was very surprised to see him on television and headed to Istanbul. Then he returned to Adana with his family. At the age of 14, he wanted to start his own business, even if on a small scale. He made and sold kebabs on the street from a three-wheeled cart. Then he went to Kayseri as a master. There, he served 1000 people a day behind the grill. After military service, as he had reached a certain age, he said, "I will open a shop." In 1992, he opened a business in Adana's Yüreğir district with his brothers. He established his business with borrowed money, and his kebabs received a lot of attention. It was even said, "Why don't you open a place in Istanbul too?" Upon this, he opened a place in Göztepe, Istanbul. He continued with his brothers for nearly 20 years. However, this partnership ended due to disagreements on business matters. Master Bedri embarked on a new journey with his own brand, again with borrowed money. Today, Master Bedri has branches in various locations in Istanbul and outside Istanbul. Furthermore, there is a statement on his website: "Kebab doyen Master Bedri is now preparing to launch his branches abroad to introduce flavor explorers from all over the world to authentic Turkish kebab." What I have told you are some key points regarding Master Bedri's success story. On the other hand, some developments have occurred recently that have tarnished the fame and glory of this success story. Let's get to the relevant issue. A customer, a regular at one of Bedri Usta's branches, made a post on his X account on December 29, 2025. In this post, he stated that his family and he came to Bedri Usta for dinner 3-4 times a month and that they really liked the restaurant's kebabs. However, on their last visit, the bill for two people and a child was 3,600 lira, and he expressed that going 3-4 times a month was no longer very reasonable. He said he was considering going once a month and investing the money saved into his wife's savings account and his child's investment account. He even said that perhaps he should consider not going even once a month and saving that money to transfer it elsewhere. The same account made a similar post on December 3, 2025. There, he touched upon similar points and again found himself questioning whether to go or not. While the citizen's evaluation in these posts appears to be directed at Bedri Usta, he is actually emphasizing the rising prices in the food sector and restaurants in general. We can see this if we read his tweets in full. In summary, there is a citizen who says that the prices are no longer sustainable and that he would rather spend the money he spends on eating out on his family's future. While making his evaluation and criticism, he does not personally show any disrespect to Bedri Usta or his establishment. So, what happens next? A business either remains silent to such a post or explains to the customer in a reasonable manner why the prices are at that level. There is also a third way, which should never be preferred. This is the path Bedri Usta chose. What is that path? Disrespecting the customer and seeing oneself as superior. Why do I say this? Because, as we all know now, Bedri Usta, by quoting the customer's bill, shared the bill on his own social media account, saying, "Your followers are few, let me share it so people can see." However, despite having over 2 million followers on Instagram, it seems Bedri Usta doesn't know how algorithms work very well. Because the number of followers is only one of the factors determining how much viewership and engagement a post will receive on social media, and it may not always be as important a factor as one might think. For example, the same citizen's post from December 3 received over 1.2 million views, and his post from December 29 received 2.9 million views with over 1000 comments. The tweet where the citizen quoted Bedri Usta's condescending reply received 1.6 million views and around 800 comments. So, contrary to what Bedri Usta hoped or thought, it could be said that the less followed citizen made Bedri Usta popular, not the other way around. He did make him popular, to be sure. But this popularity added a bad link to Bedri Usta's image. Bedri Usta faced a huge backlash and was talked about for days. He continues to be talked about intermittently. In response to the backlash, on January 2, 2026, Bedri Usta said, "The events that have been going on for days do not befit my past or my present. I have never belittled anyone. I have never made fun of anyone. I have always tried to get somewhere by working hard and dedicating myself, and I am still working. You can see in my posts that I am someone who genuinely loves to help people in need as much as I can. The reason I shared the person criticizing me on my page was to show that I am transparent. However, the text I wrote there was taken out of the meaning I intended to convey. I sincerely apologize to everyone whose heart has been broken and who has felt hurt by this situation. To prevent the issue from escalating further, I will not make any further posts on this topic. Thank you all for your understanding." He is someone who has come from very difficult conditions and achieved success. Naturally, someone who has achieved success in this way should have internalized that success and not exhibited such behavior. Because a mature ear of wheat bows its head. Although he himself does not describe these words as belittling or mocking, from an outsider's perspective, these meanings naturally emerge first. Still, let's say the message was misunderstood. Later, there is a video of him where he says, "You were given a bill of 4,000 lira for 3 people and you are crying. If it's expensive, don't go, my friend. Go if it suits your taste. You can't stomach it. You don't look at the price list. You go in, eat, drink. And then you cry. Take care of yourselves. You either paid a bill of 4,000 lira for 3 people and you are crying. When I share these price lists, business increases even more. You can be sure of that. So don't tear yourself apart for nothing." This is a very clearly problematic and condescending statement in terms of tone. There is also a video he shared from his establishment during these events. There, he emphasizes the fullness of the restaurant. He says, "Because I became a trending topic on Twitter, there is no room in the shop. You can't even throw a needle." "Because I became a trending topic on Twitter today, there is no room in the shop. Mashallah. You can't even throw a needle. Did you see the advertisement? Very busy. Mashallah. Mashallah. Mashallah. Mashallah. Mashallah. Mashallah." He is essentially saying that there is no such thing as bad publicity. Therefore, my thought is not that he was misunderstood, but that he made a mistake. By the way, let me emphasize this. He might have acted with the intention of transparency, as he stated when posting. Because I examined his Instagram account. In the past, he voluntarily shared bills from various branches in this way and asked his consumers and followers, "What do you think of the prices?" So, while his initial intention might have been transparency, his tone is clearly problematic, and there is a huge mismatch between his intention and the outcome. In a news report by Fatmanur Duman Arı from Anadolu Agency on January 4, 2026, it was stated that a written statement from the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office announced that an ex officio investigation had been initiated into Bedri Usta, Bedrettin Aydoğdu, based on ihbars and complaints. The report states that the necessary records and determination procedures related to the alleged posts have been carried out, and it was stated that correspondence with the relevant institutions and organizations has been initiated urgently, and that the investigation procedures are being carried out meticulously within the framework of the provisions of the legislation. Will this aspect of the matter lead to something? We will see over time. Now let's look at some reactions on social media. One of the most discussed points after the events were the visuals you see on the screen. A discussion began about whether Bedri Usta also liked these statements. I think this image is very likely not a real image. Because when the owner of a post likes a post on Instagram, an icon like this does not appear. It says "post owner liked" next to it, without the profile icon or profile photo of the person who liked it. Look, I am now showing another example from Bedri Usta's account on the screen. However, let me add a disclaimer here. The version of Instagram you are using and which operating system you are using it on, whether on Android or iOS, might also be effective. The image I received was taken from an iPhone. If anyone sees it that way on their own device, they can add it to the comments. I would also like to mention this. There are also visuals for the same two comments in the format I mentioned earlier, i.e., the format that says "post owner liked." We don't know for sure if these are real. However, Bedri Usta claims he did not like such a message. We all know clearly now. I also mention it in countless of my videos. Everyone shares something for engagement on social media. Most accounts are on high alert. Let's give an example of this. Following these events, posts were made saying Bedri Usta was removed. The photos in these posts are real photos taken from Bedri Usta's account. On the other hand, looking at the date, it is seen to be from November 21, 2025. So the photo is real, the so-called news is false. This is how engagement lovers fill their pockets by making such posts. Some of them are even pages known as news pages. This is what journalism is like today. In summary, it is possible that he liked these comments. However, when you consider the points I have emphasized together and his own claim, it is also possible that he did not like them. He has another statement where he says regarding this matter: "I state clearly. I did not like this comment, and I have no connection with such discourse. I firmly reject all forms of discriminatory and demeaning language. In this process, my person and my family have been unjustly targeted in the public eye due to fake content and manipulated posts. Following these developments, my lawyers have filed criminal complaints with the prosecutors. In addition to his statements on his Instagram account regarding all these events, on January 6, 2026, there is an interview with Bedrettin Aydoğdu by Seyhan Avşar on Gerçek Gündem. There, all these topics were asked to him again. When asked why he quoted and replied to the customer who shared the price, Bedrettin Aydoğdu said: "Actually, I am more of a complainant about the expensiveness. When I saw the post in question, I said, 'Look, you posted, so I quoted you. I wrote, 'Let people see.' I meant, 'Look, you criticized me, so I'm sharing it. Let the public see.' I am also someone who rebels against expensiveness, who thinks the state should regulate the free market, who gets bothered by coffee prices at the airport. I am someone who feels sorry for retirees because of the minimum wage. My intention was never bad or arrogant, but I couldn't explain myself. What I said was misunderstood. I apologize to everyone." He reiterates that he never foresaw the events escalating to this point, that his intention was transparency, and that he was misunderstood. Since we cannot read his mind, was his intention truly this from the beginning? Or is he speaking this way today because the events have reached this point, as he says, and he couldn't foresee them? Only God knows that, let's say. When asked about the investigation launched against him, he said: "We are as humble as a strand of hair to the state. Whenever they wish, we will gladly go and give our statement. This incident has escalated. I am even telling those who support me, 'Don't do it, let the matter be closed.' I really didn't know what kind of place Twitter was. He was also asked about the Ahmetspor issue. He has a photo wearing an Ahmetspor jersey. Regarding that, he said: "I don't just wear the Ahmetspor jersey. I have also worn Konyaspor, Yozgat, Adana Demirspor, and Fenerbahçe jerseys. Why aren't these being discussed? On December 3, I hosted 650 special children. I provided meals in Edirne, Sevgi Evleri, Kasımpaşa, and Kız Yurdu. I have supported thousands of social responsibility projects. Why aren't these being talked about?" Bedrettin Aydoğdu, who claims that those who are lynching him would apologize if they knew him, said: "I am as Kurdish as I am Turkish. I have one flag. And I have Mustafa Kemal. I recognize no one else." He says, "We have many mutual acquaintances, journalist brothers. Ask them. They know me very well. Don't forget. What do I know about politics? I am a kebab maker, not a politician." He gives a response once again regarding liking comments. He claimed that the visuals were created with artificial intelligence and that he was shown as if he had liked that comment, and that he had not made such a post. Let's move on to another topic related to the issue. While doing research, the tweet you see on the screen also came across my path. The tweet states that an investigation has been initiated by the Kadıköy Municipality regarding Bedri Usta's branch in Kalamış, in accordance with Law No. 3194 on Zoning and related municipal zoning regulations, to determine whether there is any violation of zoning legislation. The source is not specified, it is unclear. However, the post you see on the screen was previously made by a person named Tolgan Erdoğan. In this tweet, which directly addresses and poses questions and allegations to Kadıköy Mayor Mesut Köseğ, the following words are also included: "It was conveyed to me by the staff that you constantly eat in VIP rooms at this venue with CHP officials. I would like to ask. During these visits, did you not see the building code violations of the venue at all, or did you ignore them? No, if I say you don't understand these matters, you have been a council member for years. I don't consider that likely either. Is it possible that there are 'avanta lavanta' (freebie) dealings behind your inability to see this venue and similar places, or will you truly do what is necessary? The public will follow. The person who sent this tweet, Tolgan Erdoğan, had previously made an allegation that İsmail Saymaz had bought a house for 50 million lira. İsmail Saymaz filed a lawsuit over this allegation and won. Tolgan Erdoğan was ordered to pay 15,000 lira in compensation. When seeing this type of news, the question arises whether the allegations here are also baseless, coming from someone whose past allegations turned out to be unfounded. However, of course, it is also possible that the other scenario is true and there is some truth to the allegations. Consequently, I went to the Kadıköy Municipality website to see if there was any statement regarding this matter in the announcements section. There was no statement or response. Let's see if these matters will be pursued. Will these be investigated? Are these allegations true or false, superficial allegations? These are also matters that may emerge over time. Let's come to the tax issue. There are many businesses named Bedri Usta. It is not very possible to look at all of them for this video. Let me mention some of them. Bedri Usta ve Tedarik Hizmetleri Anonim Şirketi had no tax base in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Bedri Usta İşletmeleri Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Şirketi had tax accruals of 392,000 in 2022, 1.2 million in 2023, and 785,000 in 2024. As I said, there are other companies too. Let's move on to the one with the highest tax accrual among those I saw. Bedri Usta Kebap İşletmeleri Anonim Şirketi had tax accruals of 403,000 in 2022, 2,349,000 lira in 2023, and 6,82,000 lira in 2024. This is the summary of Master Bedri's short story and the scandal that occurred. If comprehensive investigations and audits are truly carried out, and if violations are found as a result and pursued, Bedri may suffer losses from this process. On the other hand, if these are not done, or if they are done and no fault is found, and everything is done in accordance with the law, I believe Bedri Usta will emerge from the process unharmed. That is, even though the incident is heavily debated on social media, I don't think he will lose customers. In such incidents, there may always be a short-term loss, but the long-term outcome does not change much. We have discussed this in similar videos before. A huge backlash forms in a short time. Then everything is forgotten. Another question to ask is: What proportion of the citizens who react can actually go there? Among those who don't go now but are financially able to, a popularity has also formed. For example, some people might think: The person who tweeted criticized it financially. Well, my financial situation is good. I can afford it. I can't afford to worry about it. The person still said the taste is good. I'll go. What do I care about the criticisms or any boycott against it? Look, I made a video about Pati Swiss at the time. Remember, there was a huge backlash again at that time. I made a similar statement at the end of that video. How much were they really affected? Of course, since it is not a publicly traded company, we cannot see it. We cannot measure it precisely. But I can give an example like this: At that time, Migros removed Pati from its shelves. Today, when you search on Migros's website, the products are listed. So, until most issues are forgotten in Turkey. Let's accept it or not, we have to talk about the truth. Unfortunately, this is how the system works in Turkey. Let's get to the final word. There was a sentence on Bedri Usta's website that caught my attention, and he has a book. He probably includes such statements in that book as well. But I wanted my mastery to be not just in cooking kebabs, but also in cooking life. Just as not everyone who puts meat on every fire becomes a master, not everyone who lives a life, good or bad, becomes a master of life. The experiences Master Bedri has had since childhood show how true these words are. But especially the recent incident makes this statement much more meaningful. Because being a master of life requires humility. As popularity increases, humility and modesty become essential. Perhaps he is truly such a person and is very regretful. He might not be saying these words because the situation has reached this point. He might be saying them genuinely, but ultimately, he has definitely made a mistake. And this mistake he made will go down in history as a lesson for all business owners. When the Bedri Usta incident occurred, many people on the internet started recommending new venues in the vicinity. They made comments like, "There's this place here, this kebab shop there. Their products are also very good, and they are more affordable." I will also recommend a kebab master to you in this video and close it. My kebab master is the king of kebab masters, in the words of the late Özkan Uğur. Who am I talking about? A fictional character, but truly a genius and authentic character. Ali Haydar Usta. I will add the playlist of the restored version of the İkinci Bahar series to the pinned comment and description. It's a series of 38 episodes, each less than an hour long, so perfectly paced that for me, it's the best Turkish series of all time. There's something we're all aware of now. The vast majority of people are focused on materialism, on possessions, and what's worse, it's getting worse every day. We're putting aside everything spiritual, every thought, every feeling, we're forgetting them, devaluing them. This series will remind you of all these values. In fact, don't watch it alone. Sit in front of the television. Watch it with your family. It's a complete family series. It tells about family, friendship, love, loyalty, mercy, love, all of these so beautifully, without any exaggeration, with utmost sincerity, with utmost heartfeltness. As someone who has watched this series countless times and plans to watch it countless more times, the only point of regret is that I don't think a better one can ever be made. Because we, as humans, have changed so much now. Forget about experiencing these feelings in reality, even acting them out is now almost impossible. That's why a better one will never come. With love and respect to everyone who contributed to this series, especially to the beloved Şener Şen and the beloved Türkan Şoray, for creating such a work. Let's end with a beautiful wish. May God grant everyone a beautiful love in the spring of their lives, like the love of Hanım and Ali Haydar Usta, and may that love never end.