History

In 1922, Chef Salim opened a small restaurant in his hometown, the province of Afyon with his older and younger brothers. When the news of Atatürk's visit to Afyon broke out in 1934, how he will be hosted started to be discussed.
The Governor of the time, Ahmet Evrendilek, talked to the Chief Clerk of the Province Bekir Evrenkaya. Evrenkaya said that he can invite Chef Salim, son of Kabaklı Neighborhood Headman Mustafa Pancar, to prepare the meals. Chef Salim began the preparations for Atatürk's dinner with the utmost care and came up with an ostentatious menu. Atatürk, who liked the food and the table very much, called Chef Salim; asked about his story and the name of his restaurant. “If you proceed like this, you will prosper. Let the name of the restaurant be İKBAL, which means prosperity.” The İKBAL sign was already in place before Pasha left Afyon.