A chain of British steakhouses, which introduced post-war Britain to the likes of steak and chips and Black Forest gateau, was a familiar fixture in Merseyside for decades.
The brainchild of brothers Aldo and Frank Berni, the Berni Inn brand started life in Bristol before expanding its empire to London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Southport, New Brighton and more. 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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Places in Plymouth and Bristol soon followed, but all three venue were damaged during the Second World War. In 1943, the brothers started again and bought Hort's Restaurant in Bristol, followed by 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, Berni Inn introduced post-war Britain to the likes of steak and chips, prawn cocktails and Black Forrest gateau, arguably paving 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.
In Merseyside itself, many will remember the likes of the Berni Steak Bar in Sefton House, the River Inn on St George's Road, Pierhead, The Albany on Old Hall Street and the Mersey Tavern on Lord Street. Berni Inns in Southport included the Fox & Goose on Cable Street and Thorps Tavern on Nevill Street and there was also the Queens Royal in New Brighton.
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. Through the years, the Liverpool ECHO printed many Berni Inn advertisements.
On July 20, 1971, one advert said: "When it comes to making a meal of it, you can’t better a Berni Inn. And what a meal!
"Start perhaps with a schooner of sherry from the wood - then on to a big juicy steak with all the trimmings - followed by cheese or ice-cream, and a Berni coffee. Or perhaps your taste is for a tender chicken, a golden Dover sole, or mouth-watering duck."
Another in 1974 said: "Come again value! Be sure it’s a Berni Inn.
"Look for that Berni Inn sign. Only then can you be certain of the real Berni experience - something that you’ll want to enjoy again and can afford again and again.
"Many have tried to imitate the Berni experience, but somehow they’ve never quite succeeded in matching the original. So look for the Berni sign - the value-for-money sign - and then come inside and relax in anticipation of the good things to come."
A 1970s Berni Inn menu from their Chester branch, The Criterion, also shows customers could get a soup of the day for 55p, prime rump steak for £6.25, and fillet of plaice for £2.99. On the dessert section, lemon and sultana cheesecake cost 75p and the Berni Meringue Fountain was 90p.
Many will remember visiting a number of the Merseyside Berni Inns to celebrate a special occasion or enjoy some of their staple menu items. But over the decades, the Berni Inns became a chapter of the past.
The brothers sold the chain to Grand Metropolitan for £14.5 million in 1970. By the mid 1990s, the chain was sold to Whitbread who later converted the outlets into their own Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants.
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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.
Did you ever visit a Berni Inn in Merseyside? Let us know in the comments section
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.
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."
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As for Liverpool, its Pier Head chain later became home to another the Shanghai Palace Chinese restaurant, until that was bulldozed in 2007 as part of the multi-million pound redevelopment of the Pier Head. It is now home to Matou.
In 2010, Jane Haase visited the new Liverpool restaurant Matou and said how her first experience of a "proper" restaurant was the Berni Inn steakhouse at the Pier Head for a family birthday celebration. Jane said: "It was the early 80s and prawn cocktail, scampi and chips and Black Forest gateau were on the menu.
"We all had big hair, even bigger shoulder pads and eye make-up that would have given Charlie Cairoli a run for his money. Despite its prime location, the building itself was something of an eyesore with its ugly 1960s design and Yellow Brick Road style façade."
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A number of ECHO readers have previously shared their memories of Berni Inn in Liverpool. Diane Unsworth said: "Bernie Inn on the river, we use to get taken there when we were kids x".
Tracey Moylan said: "Berni Inn at the Pier Head. Loved going there with my dad and brother as kids." And Roy Lindo said: "Can’t beat a good old Berni inn - great steak and fab coffee."
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