The Preserve Members Postscript entered on April 4, 2024, moved from “Members.” Relocated to “Beyond Yelp,” for unsavoury business practices. This members postscript pertains to Chef David Burke, who removed all associations with The Preserve Resort & Spa from his website.
Members Postscript1
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. They also advocate a “caste system.” The more you pay, the more access you gain. The top tiered or class membership have access to all the grounds. This includes the wooded areas.
Clay members who pay an initiation fee of $15,000 (as of 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.”
Members Postscript: Chef David Burke
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.
The Social Diary reached out to the Preserve Resort & Spa in 2023. We connected with the Double Barrel restaurant. 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.
The Preserve Resort & Spa Removed
Members Postscript: Chef Burke ‘News’ Before
Members Postscript: 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 the media touted 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. Now just billed as a “world renowned chef.”
- A postscript is appended whenever there is new information. April 4, 2024 ↩︎