Mario Bonarti was a restaurateur and the owner of Mario's Continental Cafe, a business he set up in July 1961 in the premises of Snape's Cafe on Rosamund Street after owner Sylvia Snape and her husband Bernard moved to Newcastle upon Tyne.
Mario had been in the United Kingdom since 1956 working for his Uncle Giovanni in his cafe in Rochdale and thought he knew what sort of business would go down well in a place like Weatherfield. His father Leo had come over from Italy three months before to join him and he had his own firm ideas, convinced that authentic Italian cuisine would be welcomed by the locals, an assessment that Mario thoroughly disagreed with though as a dutiful son he let his father have his way. Their very first customers, Doreen Lostock and Audrey Plant, seemed to prove Mario right when they looked askance at unusual items such as bolognese and ravioli and opted for cups of coffee instead. Audrey was very taken with the young Italian, likening his looks to Dickie Valentine, and he flirted with her by telling her about the beauties of his birthplace in Castellammare. Doreen was in one her disagreeable moods and sharply sent him on his way, much to the annoyance of both Audrey and Mario himself when he felt his efforts at romance had been spurned.
Towards the end of their first evening, Leo was disheartened that the premises were empty, but Mario made him see that as word spread, they would attract steadily more customers as the days went by.
A week later, they had their work cut out when Ena Sharples called in to collect a free meal she had won as the third prize in a raffle. She demanded food that was plain and wholesome and Mario to translate the demand as his father's English was more limited. He persuaded Ena to try scampi followed by spaghetti veronese with pork and cheese, saying it would meet her requirements. Ena enjoyed up thoroughly enjoying the meal though the wine that Leo plied her with undoubtedly helped her mood and both Leo and Mario had to help her out of her chair when it came time for her to leave.
Audrey continued to attract Frank's smiling attentions but it was Christine Hardman who he fell for the very first time she came into the cafe. She ordered teas for herself and Esther Hayes but such was the state of his distraction that he served them coffees instead. She felt impervious to his charms and enjoyed staring him out coldly when he tried to smile at her. He apologised for his manners and asked her to go out with him to a continental cinema. She initially refused but, quixotic as ever, she soon changed her mind and accepted the date. When he called for her at 13 Coronation Street, he found Dennis Tanner with her and was confused when she called him "love" as he left, not understanding the northern colloquialism.
Christine enjoyed a holiday in Cornwall with Esther where she met a Welshman called Steve. She returned to Weatherfield to take up with Mario again, convinced her time with Steve was just a holiday fling. She was as surprised as anyone when Steve turned up in Mario's cafe, asking for directions to Coronation Street. He found himself an uncomfortable third wheel in the conversation and made excuses to see the temporary lady employed in the kitchen but returned and graciously told Christine that he was happy if the two of them wanted to go out together. It proved a mistake as Christine was more taken with Steve than Mario and any romance between them fizzled out.
To keep up with the times, Mario installed a jukebox in the cafe on a week's trial, telling a dubious Leo that they needed to attract the younger customers and move with the times. When Florrie Lindley called in looking for an umbrella she had left behind, Leo offered her a cup of coffee and some soothing music from the jukebox, but his attempt failed and she was blasted with loud jazz music.
List of appearances[]
1961