Long before dining out at chain restaurants became a regular treat, many people would take a trip to their local Berni Inn in Hull to enjoy a delicious steak or Black Forest gateau in 70s and 80s.
A familiar fixture in the area and beyond for years, the Berni Inn steakhouses helped introduce post-war Britain to some staple pub dishes that are still popular today. Brothers Aldo and Frank Berni started the brand in Bristol before expanding the empire to London, Birmingham, Liverpool, and of course, Hull.
The Berni brothers first moved from Italy to Wales to join their father who had his own business there, before relocating to the west country. And while their brother Marco, who also moved to England, pursued an independent career as a restaurateur, Frank and Aldo invested a £300 inheritance from their mother in a cafe in Exeter, The Guardian previously reported.
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They next opened venues in Plymouth and Bristol, but they were damaged during the Second World War. In 1943, the brothers started their venture again and bought Hort's Restaurant in Bristol and later the New Inn in Gloucester in 1950.
The Berni Inn chain itself started in 1955 when Aldo and Frank Berni opened the first Berni Steakhouse, Rummers, in Bristol, alongside business partner Paul Rosse. Inspired by a chain of restaurants they had seen in America, the Berni brothers arguably paved the way for the pub-restaurant chains we know so well today.
From 1961 to 1966, they are said to have opened an average of one new Berni Inn a month, owning nearly 100 restaurants in the late Sixties. At a time when eating out was becoming more fashionable and popular, Berni Inns started to appear in many towns and cities across the country.
On August 21, 1973, the Daily Mirror printed an advertisement for the chain, including all of the branches across England at the time - and there were many. It reads: "Come again value! Many have tried to imitate the Berni experience. Somehow they’ve never quite succeeded.
"So look for the Berni sign - the-value-for-money sign. Then come inside and relax in anticipation of the good things to come. Be sure it’s a Berni Inn."
In Hull itself, many will remember the Berni Inns within the White House Hotel and the New York Hotel. Images unearthed from our archives offer a glimpse into what the exterior of the White House Hotel branch looked like decades ago.
Diners would enjoy a choice of steak, gammon or plaice with chips and peas or indulge in a Black Forest gateau and ice cream, polished off with its new speciality liqueur coffees. Today, eating out regularly at restaurants is the norm for many, with so many options to choose from, but for those growing up in Hull decades ago, a trip to the Berni Inn every so often was great to look forward to.
A recently rediscovered 1970s Berni Inn menu from their Chester branch, The Criterion, reveals what was on offer for customers at the time who wanted a typical Bern Inn experience. It shows customers could get a soup of the day for 55p, prime rump steak for £6.25, and fillet of plaice for £2.99, as well as the lemon and sultana cheesecake which cost 75p and the Berni Meringue Fountain for 90p.
But as much as the chain was part of many childhood memories, over the decades, the Berni Inns became a chapter of the past and in 1970, the brothers sold the chain to Grand Metropolitan for £14.5 million. By the mid 1990s, the chain was sold to Whitbread who later converted the outlets into their own Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants.
Aldo Berni died in 1997 at the age of 88 and Frank died in 2000 at the age of 96. As for Marco, the legacy of his popular Italian restaurant in Bristol continues.
It may have changed its name along the way, but there has been a restaurant on the steps between Baldwin Street and St Nicholas Market since 1951, which makes it the longest-running in Bristol, Bristol Live previously reported. It was originally called Marco’s - a reference to owner Marco Berni of the legendary Bristol restaurateur family.
But the name above the door now refers to Giuseppe Calcagno, a former Marco’s waiter who bought the business in 1994 and changed the name 22 years ago. With its dark wood panelling and deep red furnishings, Giuseppe’s On the Steps has a timeless look not dissimilar to those Berni Inns of the 1980s.
As for the Hull locations, the New York Hotel was left derelict for years before a large blaze ripped through it in 2015 and the site was later demolished.
The former White House Hotel, which fronted onto Jameson Street, and was owned by the Berni Inn chain later became a Yates' Wine Lodge and the pub traded as the Kingston Tavern before closing.
But the Berni Inn brand is still remembered today and has paved the way for next generation of restaurants. In 2017, the Huffington Post reported how Tom Kerridge’ Michelin-starred pub is inspired by the retro restaurant chain.
The Huffington Post, at the time, said: "Tom, 44, has fond memories of his childhood trips to his local Berni Inn. He reflects with Paul Ainsworth, who owns the Michelin-starred ‘Paul Ainsworth at Number 6’ in Padstow, about when his mum, who was a single parent, used to take him there and he’d have half a roast chicken with peas.
"They would only visit around twice a year, but these meals clearly left an impression on Tom, who insists that his award-winning pub is a “modern day, more refined” version of Berni Inn."
