Diary Editors: Bev & Jake1
Members belong to a unique network of shared values and similar tastes. Whether you are a member of a private members’ club or community association. At Boodle’s, City of London Club or The National Arts Club, for instance, there are standards of dress and behaviour. Whilst standards of dress have relaxed to accommodate for “modern” tastes, standards of appropriate behaviour have not. That’s why at The Social Diary, we always advocate to have your best front forward.
Members Build Strong Communities with Shared Values
Membership is an ideal way to extend one’s social circle. People join for a variety of reasons, but mainly for shared values. A healthy membership pool builds strong communities within the organisational structure. Without members, there are no community associations or private members’ clubs. Without the active participation of members, private members’ clubs have to provide public offerings to survive. These are financial facts, not conjecture.
Membership is also a two way street. The community association or private members’ club have responsibility to their members. Additionally, members should always come first when programming any event, including the public ones. Moreover, there shouldn’t be great mystery in their business practises either. In order words, the organisation should be transparent.
Tiered or class membership is not common in private members’ club settings, but in mixed-used facilities, it appears commonplace. This goes for The Preserve Resort & Spa, which provides their facility to both members and the public. Since the Double Barrel restaurant is open to the public, they compensate by offering their Clay and above tier or class with a private dining room. If you have a spa, dining and range tier or class, you have no access. Full stop! Again, these are facts and not conjecture.
The Preserve Resort & Spa
The Social Diary provided extensive Beyond Yelp coverage and included a diary entry in February 2024. We stand by the story and our recommendations. If March 30, 2024 food in the members’ only dining room is any indication, the cuisine is subpar, and not “exceptional,” as they claim.
The Social Diary recommends, skipping the Double Barrel. Instead, try the local fayre including The Café. If you are looking for a “resort vibe,” try The Ocean House (The OH). Regardless of our previous disappointment with their New Year’s Eve “black tie” event, The OH provides an overall social programming that is far superior to what The Preserve puts out.
Members Postscript2
The Preserve Resort & Spa is a walking contradiction. On the one hand, it’s a pristine property. But it’s a ghost town, unless there is an ammo sale going on. Additionally, only top tiered or class membership are allowed access to all the grounds including the wooded areas. Clay members who pay an initiation fee3 of $15,000 (in 2023) only have access to the “front” areas of The Preserve Resort & Spa. Go up $100K-250K or more on the initiation fee and you are around the ball park of total “access.”
The entrance is a facade with a glitzy, neon billboard that constantly flashes adverts and promos. One such billboard advert in 2024 promoted Chef David Burke and the Hobbit House. This was extremely odd and disturbing since Chef Burke removed any association with The Preserve by October 21, 2023.
In September last year, his website removed all articles pertaining to The Preserve Resort & Spa. We also spoke with Chef Burke at the Newport Wine and Food Festival in September. He did not wish to comment, which basically told us all we needed to know.
We reached out to the Preserve Resort & Spa in 2023 and was connected with the Double Barrel. The person identified himself as a Chef Burke “associate.” He implied that it was a conflict of interest situation since Foxwoods already had a steakhouse associated with Chef Burke. Again very odd since Chef Burke has several restaurants within close proximity to each other. Additionally, wouldn’t the attorneys review the contract before all parties signed it?
Here is the GoLocal article that confirmed what we already believed.
Chef David Burke Website
The Preserve Resort & Spa Removed
Chef Burke ‘restaurant list’ Before
Members: Chef Burke ‘News’ Before
Members: Chef Burke ‘News’ After
The Preserve Resort & Spa Website
December 13, 2023
Chef David Burke has left the building, but Wine Down Wednesdays still promoted Double Barrel Steak with the familiar association. Additionally, the membership personnel (“Toplofty”) tried to convince the members that Wine Down Wednesday was ALL public events. It’s baffling that the members know more about member events than the person in charge of member events.
Double Barrel Can’t Let Go
This Double Barrel restaurant copy is from April 2024. Some Members and the public still believe that Chef David Burke is with The Preserve Resort & Spa. After all it was touted in the media that he signed a 15-year agreement. However, Chef Burke is a ghost.
In addition to the Hobbit House promo in early 2024 that flashed his photo, Double Barrel continues to promote Chef Burke, although now they don’t really “bill” him anymore. He is just known as the “world renowned chef.”
- Bev and Jake worked as investigative reporters in a ‘previous’ life. They work full time for The Social Diary covering stories relevant to our members. In addition to Members, Bev covers Fashion and Hospitality. ↩︎
- A postscript is appended whenever there is new information. April 4, 2024 ↩︎
- An initiation fee is paid upfront as an ‘investment’ and mostly not returned if the member changes their mind. The initiation fee benefits the facility as it is added to their operational budget. ↩︎