A members-only Hamptons yacht club known for catering to an affluent, well-connected crowd had to pause restaurant service for several days after multiple kitchen employees were required to leave the United States because of visa complications, The Post has learned.
Devon Yacht Club, the upscale oceanfront club in Amagansett where initiation fees have reportedly reached roughly $100,000, called off its Wednesday dinner service after losing foreign cooks, according to a notice sent to members that day.
The disruption continued into Thursday, with food service not expected to resume until Friday lunch, club officials told members of the elite institution, whose past roster once included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s parents.
“The H2B visa approval for our cooks is still not resolved,” the member letter obtained by The Post said, citing the federal visa program that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers for temporary or seasonal jobs.
“It seems that an oversight either by the agent or attorney responsible for submitting our petition or perhaps by the US Immigration Office itself has resulted in a situation where our H2B kitchen staff must leave the country immediately and return to their home countries for at least 60 days before their visas can be renewed,” the notice continued.
“Needless to say, this is causing consternation not only for our Club management and its Members, but also for our hard working staff.”
In the meantime, the high-end yacht club offered members a pared-down menu of “a limited selection of bar bites” on Thursday between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
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Club officials said they were “doing our best to rehire the necessary kitchen staff” and remained “confident that we can resume services on Friday – albeit on a somewhat limited basis,” adding that members would be updated promptly “if circumstances do not allow for Friday services to resume.”
Devon Yacht Club did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The sailing and tennis club — founded in 1908 by the Procter family of Procter & Gamble and the Lever family of Lever Brothers — is located in tony Devon Colony, which has been home to the likes of Paul McCartney, billionaire Michael Novogratz, and Alec Baldwin.
A source previously told Page Six that the yacht club nestled on the shores of Gardiner’s Bay is known for its exclusivity and secrecy, but is renowned amongst the monied set who are into yachting.
But the high-society haven has experienced choppy waters in recent months as members battle over plans for the club’s future — and whether that includes a full demolition and multimillion-dollar reconstruction or renovations, New York Magazine reported.
The inner turmoil has leaked into the public view as several members have been expelled, dozens of lawsuits have been filed and members have aired their grievances in online forums and at town meetings.
In a lawsuit filed on March 9, expelled members from the private club alleged they were booted from the elite spot for rocking the boat by opposing a controversial $35 million redevelopment project and claimed one board member threatened to “gouge out” an opponent’s eyes.
The Post reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the East Hampton Town Police Department for more information but did not immediately receive a response.
