Arlington Heights Brigham's Changing Its Name

The Arlington Heights Brigham’s and the three other remaining locations are being forced to change their names.

A spokeswoman for Lynnfield-based Hood, which bought the ice cream brand in 2008, recently said the four Brigham’s-named restaurants – in Andover, Quincy and Hingham as well – will have to change their names, as Brigham’s ice cream will no longer be sold in three-gallon tubs. The restaurants are run as independently-owned franchises.

The quart-sized Brigham’s ice cream containers, available in area supermarkets, will not be affected, spokeswoman Lynn Bohan said.

“This was a difficult decision for us obviously,” she said, “but again, given the volume of sales of those three-gallon tubs, we just had to make the difficult decision to stop selling them.”

The news marks another hurdle for the Arlington Heights Brigham’s, which was seized by the state last May for “nonpayment of taxes.” The restaurant reopened days later.

It also is a blow to nostalgic Arlington residents, who have lost Johnnie’s Foodmaster, Panera, Holovak & Coughlin Sporting Goods and possibly Nicola Pizza House in recent months.

What are your thoughts on the news? And what should Brigham’s new name be? Let us know by posting a comment below.