Bye Bye Brigham’s – Restaurants Closing

Belmont Brigham's Still Open

Brigham’s Restaurants Closing   The abrupt recent closing of the Brigham’s in Boston’s Financial District didn’t seem to bode well for the the rest of the chain’s restaurants.  Sure enough, the Arlington Brigham’s shop on Mill Street has been shuttered and the Globe reported that many of the other locations will be closing.

Bummer! While Brigham’s hasn’t been what it used to be, with local shops offering a limited version of the restaurant, it’s still a decent place for a burger finished off with the tastiest of ice cream – Mocha Almond.  And the Financial District restaurant was my old stomping grounds – when I worked in Post Office Square I’d get my lunch there – tuna on white, a lemonade, and vanilla ice cream – an all white meal before we knew that wasn’t necessarily a good thing – but it sure hit the spot.

Brigham’s is a long time local favorite – the company started in Massachusetts over 90 years ago and the ice cream was manufactured in Arlington.  HP Hood has owned the ice cream operation since last year and will continue to sell the prepackaged ice cream in supermarkets. 

Turns out, according to an employee behind the counter, that the Belmont Brigham’s by the Oakley Country Club is independently owned so will remain open. Hurrah! They make a great burger, there are lots of booths, and the hand scooped ice cream is delicious.  And a reader alerted me to the fact that the Arlington Heights Brigham’s has the same owner so that bodes well for our other local hangout.  And restaurants that serve Brigham’s ice cream, like Colleen’s in Medford Square, won’t be affected by the chain’s difficulties.

When I stopped by this weekend the Belmont shop was busier than ever – I think people were stopping by for what they thought was their last cone or hamburger. Keep coming back – support your local Brigham’s!

Categories: Everything Else
Tags: Belmont, Shop Local

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 10:51 pm and is filed under Everything Else. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1. Ron Newman said at November 22nd, 2009 at 11:52 pm

   Are you sure the Arlington Heights store is closed? It has the same independent owner as the Belmont store.

2. Ron Newman said at November 22nd, 2009 at 11:53 pm

   Also, Colleen’s is no longer listed on the Brigham’s web site — I think because they disaffiliated from Brigham’s and serve some other ice cream now.

3. Elizabeth Bolton said at November 22nd, 2009 at 11:59 pm

   Hi Ron – The Globe reported that the Arlington Brighm’s was being closed – the story is linked above – but I haven’t been by. I’ll have to check it out – great news if that’s so. I tend to frequent the Belmont shop so that’s the one I stopped by.

   Funny that you say that about Colleen’s – I stopped in for a dish of Mocha Almond there not long ago – I hope they haven’t switched.

   I’m never one to shy away from exploratory trips for ice cream – I’ll be back with a report.

   Liz

4. Ron Newman said at November 23rd, 2009 at 10:04 am

   The Globe story said that the store on Mill Street in Arlington has closed, but it didn’t say anything about the Arlington Heights store, which is separately owned (by the same people who own the Belmont store).

5. Elizabeth Bolton said at November 23rd, 2009 at 11:43 am

   Thanks for the clarification Ron – I will edit above to make that clear. That went right past me since I’d never been to the store on Mill Street. Good to know!

   Liz

6. Ron Newman said at November 23rd, 2009 at 12:10 pm

   The Mill Street store was next to Brigham’s former headquarters and factory (all now vacant after the sale to Hood).

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