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David Burke Hospitality Management, led by acclaimed chef David Burke, is partnering with Hampshire Destination Properties LLC to modernize the historic Bernards Inn at 27 Minebrook Road in Bernardsville. — Photos by Aaron Houston for Real Estate NJ
By Marlaina Cockcroft
Celebrity chef David Burke wasn’t looking for a new restaurant to add to his holdings, but when the owners of the Bernards Inn asked him to revitalize the property, he jumped at the chance.
“When an opportunity like the Bernards Inn comes in, it’s hard to walk away,” he said.
It was the first step toward the partnership announced in July between David Burke Hospitality Management and Hampshire Destination Properties, a subsidiary of The Hampshire Cos., to revitalize the historic restaurant and hotel at 27 Mine Brook Road in Bernardsville. Renovations are underway, with the reopening of the restaurant planned for early October.
The project comes at a critical time for the 116-year-old Bernards Inn, a former speakeasy that has survived fire, floods and Prohibition, but was nearly done in by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hampshire’s Alex Imperatore, whose family’s company bought the property in 2006, said he doesn’t believe it has recovered, estimating it lost 70 percent of its business.
“We said, ‘Who do you think could get this place back on its feet and back where we want it?’” said Imperatore, a senior real estate manager with the fourth-generation, Morristown-based firm. “Because, as a family, we love this building. … We live in Bernardsville — most of the family members — so it’s very important to us. It was something we didn’t really want to sell, so that’s where we came up with David Burke.”
The renowned chef, a New Jersey native who now operates nine restaurants in the state and 19 worldwide, said he was intrigued by the opportunity even though he’d just opened a Red Horse steakhouse in White Plains, New York, in April. The Bernards Inn is “a landmark location, was once one of the best restaurants in the state.”
It’s still a good restaurant, he added, but it needs to keep up with new establishments in the area.
“Some of the style and energy of the place kind of faded,” said Burke, who has been nominated twice for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef award and appeared on “Top Chef” and “Top Chef Masters,” among other shows. “So we’re going to come in and rejuvenate. Fresh look, fresh feel, fresh energy, some music.”
All three upstairs dining rooms have been gutted and are being rebuilt. The finished product will look like the equestrian-themed Red Horse locations in White Plains and Rumson, appropriate given the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation and the Far Hills Race Meeting are located near Bernardsville.
“It’s a beautiful area,” Burke said. “It’s a landmark building with a nice layout, it’s got history.”
Planned menu items include Burke’s pink Himalayan salt dry-aged steaks and whole roasted fish. Because he’s an advocate for sourcing local ingredients, he’ll feature bison from Fossil Farms in Boonton and oysters from the Barnegat Oyster Collective.
The lower-level restaurant will be called The Bernie, featuring small plates, events and live music. It will relaunch after the main restaurant opens.
In a first for Burke, his team will also manage the hotel. They’ll take over operations for the 20 guest rooms about six months after the restaurant opens.
“It’s another opportunity for us to be in the full hotel business,” he said. He plans changes to the guest rooms and amenities by spring.
Imperatore said it was Burke’s idea to run the hotel as well.
“We’re in the real estate business,” Imperatore said. “We don’t manage hotels, we don’t manage restaurants, really. So we said, ‘If this is something you’re interested in, we’d like to hand the whole thing over.’”
He said that, while Hampshire will have a say in guest room renovations, Burke is running the restaurant at his discretion.
“He’s got this ‘wow’ effect, almost,” Imperatore added. “All of his art and his designs and his plates are just very unique and very different than the standard restaurant you go into.”
The goal is to help bring fine dining into the post-pandemic era. Upscale restaurants suffered the most during the pandemic, Imperatore noted, while eateries at mid- to lower price points performed better. Hampshire also owns The Station restaurant next door to the inn, which actually increased profits through COVID.
“I think the fine dining is coming back,” he said. “It’s just much slower than we had hoped for.”
Burke said, “I think the fine dining experience has gone sideways a little bit in New Jersey, where the best restaurants in the state aren’t necessarily fine dining.” His plan for the new Red Horse is that the dining room will be more polished, with guests in business attire: “Fresh candles, quieter room where you can actually hear your date or your family, or have a business meeting.” The connected tavern room and the bar room will be livelier, he said.
The downstairs restaurant has stayed open through the renovations, and Burke’s team is working with the existing team, with plans to add staff as needed.
Burke and Imperatore both hope to attract new customers as well as existing fans. The chef added that they’re trying to bring the inn back to its status as “another option for that county to have a good meal and a good time.”
Imperatore, meantime, said Bernardsville is trying to redevelop the downtown, so it’s a good time to revitalize the inn. Judging by the positive comments he’s seen on Facebook, “I think the town’s also very excited about it.”
Marlaina Cockcroft is a freelance writer based in New Jersey. Other publications she writes for include New Jersey Monthly and School Library Journal.
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