These days it’s hard to imagine never going out for a meal but in post-war Britain it was a privilege reserved for the very wealthy. That was until an Italian family named Berni, based in Bristol, revolutionised our dining out habits by opening a chain of restaurants serving decent quality food at affordable prices in pleasant surroundings.
The very first Berni Inn opened in 1956 at The Rummer in St Nicholas Market and city folk just couldn’t get enough of it. And who could blame them when you could order steak, a roll and butter and ice cream for pudding for seven shillings and sixpence (37p)?
It became the go-to place for a celebratory night out or an important date, and by the early 1960s Frank and Aldo Berni were opening up in a new location every month. This included the city's historic Llandoger Trow, with branches spreading from the Westcountry all the way to London and right across the rest of the UK.
