Yahoo News The lost pub chain that paved the way for Wetherspoons with £6 steaks and 75p desserts
A national chain of pub-restaurants, renowned for their unforgettable prawn cocktails, steaks and cheesecakes, was once a common sight across Greater Manchester and beyond.
Even before a pint and pub meal out at a local Wetherspoons became a thing, families across Greater Manchester would head to their local Berni Inn for a meal or to celebrate a special occasion. The brand originated in Bristol before founders and brothers Aldo and Frank Berni expanded their empire to London, Birmingham, Liverpool - and Manchester, Bolton, Rochdale and more.
The Berni brothers initially moved from Italy to Wales to join their father who had his own business there, before moving to the West Country. While their brother Marco, who also relocated to England, pursued an independent career as a restaurateur, Frank and Aldo invested a £300 inheritance from their mother in a café in Exeter.
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A 1970s Berni Inn menu from their Chester branch, The Criterion, reveals that customers could get a soup of the day for 55p, prime rump steak for £6.25, and fillet of plaice for £2.99. In the dessert section, lemon and sultana cheesecake cost 75p and the Berni Meringue Fountain was priced at 90p.
The chain became renowned for serving the most popular meal in British restaurants in the 1970s and '80s. The meal consisted of Prawn cocktail, steak garni with chips, and Black Forest gâteau, something now seen as retro and synonymous with a meal out at a Berni Inn.
In Manchester, Berni Inns like Cafe Royal, Hole in the Wall and The Kingsway were popular spots, while elsewhere in Greater Manchester, diners could enjoy the Golden Lion in Bolton, Cafe Monico in Oldham, The Wellington in Rochdale and The Minorca in Wigan, the Manchester Evening News reported back in 2022.
The brothers' ventures extended to Plymouth and Bristol, but their establishments there were unfortunately impacted by World War II. In 1943, they made a fresh start with the acquisition of Hort's Restaurant in Bristol, marking a turning point.
In 1955, Aldo and Frank Berni, inspired by American restaurants, partnered with Paul Rosse to launch the first Berni Steakhouse, Rummers, in Bristol, marking the birth of the Berni Inn chain. They introduced Britain to culinary delights like steak and chips and Black Forrest gateau, paving the way for present-day pub-restaurant chains like Wetherspoons.
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Their expansion was rapid, with an average of one new Berni Inn opening per month between 1961 and 1966. By the late 1960s, their empire encompassed nearly 100 restaurants, catering to the growing trend of dining out.
On August 21, 1973, the Daily Mirror featured an advertisement showcasing Berni Inn locations across England, with the tagline: "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."
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Customers would rejoice in a diverse choice of steak, gammon or plaice teamed with chips and peas, or savour a Black Forest gateau and ice cream - all rounded off by its distinctively new liqueur coffees.
Countless people have fond memories of visiting various Greater Manchester based Berni Inns to commemorate special events or indulge in their iconic menu items. Below, you can see The Kingsway Hotel in Levenshulme which became a Berni Inn for a number of years.
However, the Berni Inns gradually became a relic of history. The founders sold the chain to Grand Metropolitan for £14.5 million in 1970, and during the mid-1990s, Whitbread acquired the chain, later converting outlets into its signature Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants.
Despite now being lost to time, the Berni Inn brand continues to resonate, having laid the groundwork for modern dining experiences. The Huffington Post in 2017 reported on how Tom Kerridge's Michelin-starred pub, The Hand & Flowers in Buckinghamshire, draws inspiration from the nostalgic restaurant chain.
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According to The Huffington Post, "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."
