16 Handles

16 Handles
Privately held company
Industry Restaurants
Founded 2008
Founder Solomon Choi
(President & CEO)
Headquarters New York, NY
Number of locations
 40
Area served
 USA (East Coast)
Products Frozen yogurt
Smoothies
Parfaits
Oatmeal
Revenue Increase $32.4 million US$
(2013)[1]
Website 16handles.com

16 Handles is an American brand of self-serve frozen yogurt restaurants headquartered in New York City. There are 40 stores in six states, all on the East Coast.

History

16 Handles was founded by Solomon Choi, who serves as president and CEO.[2][3][4] In July 2008, Choi opened the first 16 Handles store in the East Village in Manhattan, near the New York University dorms.[2][5][6] It was the first self-serve frozen yogurt shop in New York,[2][7] and the success of the self-serve format spawned hundreds of imitators on the East Coast.[2][8] In November 2009, Choi opened a second location, at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey.[3] After receiving multiple inquires about franchising opportunities, in 2010 the company began expanding through franchising.[4][5] By early 2011, there were 10 locations,[9] and as of February 2015, there are 40 locations in 6 states.[10]

In June 2014, 16 Handles announced plans to open 150 stores in the Middle East over the next 10 years in a development deal with Abu Issa Marketing and Distribution, with anticipated stores in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.[11][12]

Products

All 16 Handles stores are self-serve, with customers building their own frozen yogurt sundaes and paying by weight.[3] Each location has a rotating roster of 16 frozen yogurt flavors on tap.[3] Flavors include cookies & cream, coffee, fudge brownie, salted caramel, mango, peanut butter, Euro tart, vanilla, chocolate and graham cracker. Over 40 toppings are available, including fruit, candy, syrup, granola, carob chips and yogurt chips.[3][13] All 16 Handles frozen yogurts are probiotic, and most are also nonfat and gluten-free. Non-dairy sorbet, no-sugar and low-fat options are also available,[6][13] as well as seasonal menu items, such as a hot cocoa launched in December 2014,[7] and special edition flavors, such as Caramel Popcorn, launched in May 2014 to coincide with the Tony Awards.[14] All of the yogurts and most of the toppings are certified kosher, and some of the locations themselves are certified kosher.[15]

In 2013, 16 Handles introduced artisanal flavors, along with frozen custard.[2] Some of the artisanal flavors use real fruit in the yogurt itself, and 16 Handles also offers a vegan soft-serve made with coconut water.[16]

In February 2015, the 16 Handles store in New York's Chelsea neighborhood began offering breakfast in the morning,[10][17] serving Greek yogurt, hot oatmeal bowls and acai bowls, with topping options including fresh fruit, vegetables, granola, raw pumpkin seeds and raisins. The store switches back to frozen yogurt starting in the afternoon. Like the frozen yogurt, the refrigerated yogurt is sold by the ounce. The company plans on adding the breakfast format to additional 16 Handles locations over the course of 2015.[10] Also in 2015, 16 Handles began offering coffee and tea at select locations.[18]

Locations

16 Handles has 40 locations in the following US states:[11]

Marketing and technology

In 2013, 16 Handles launched the "Snappy New Year" campaign, a promotion of short advertisements through Snapchat, a mobile app that allows users to send photo messages that self-destruct after 10 seconds or less.[19] With the campaign, 16 Handles was the first brand to create and execute a marketing campaign using Snapchat.[20]

Honors and awards

The "Snappy New Year" campaign earned 16 Handles Mashable's 2013 Mashie Rising Star award for digital marketing.[21]

In July 2014, 16 Handles was listed at #15 on Restaurant Business magazine's Future 50, an annual ranking of the fastest-growing small chains in the US.[1]

In popular culture

16 Handles was featured as a location on a 2014 episode of the HBO television series Girls, in season 3, episode 8.[22] In 2015, the Williamsburg, Brooklyn location was featured on the Comedy Central television series Broad City, in season 2, in which it was renamed 42 Squirts.[23] Celebrities who have been spotted at 16 Handles include Jonah Hill,[24] Katie Holmes[14] and Daniel Radcliffe.[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “The Future 50: 2014, 16 Handles,” Restaurant Business, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Anne Kadet, “New York City Happily Drowning in Fro-Yo,” Wall Street Journal, June 7, 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Kelly Feeney, “Self-Serve Sundaes,” New York Times, December 31, 2009.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Karen E. Klein, “Franchising to Expand the Business,” Bloomberg Businessweek, August 3, 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Peter Vanden Bos, “How to Determine Your Business Strategy,” Inc., August 6, 2010.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Judy Kneiszel, “One to Watch: 16 Handles,” QSR Magazine, February 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 “16 Handles battles the big chill with hot cocoa froyo,” Fox Business, January 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ Laurie Kulikowski, “16 Handles Aims to Win in Frozen Yogurt Consolidation,” TheStreet.com, April 24, 2013.
  9. ↑ Adrianne Pasquarelli, “Fro-yo chain expands as rivals melt,” Crain's New York Business, March 22, 2011.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Bruce Horovitz, “Frozen yogurt chain’s breakfast twist,” USA Today, February 13, 2015.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 “16 Handles Frozen Yogurt Expanding Into Middle East,” Bloomberg Businessweek, August 29, 2014.
  12. ↑ “16 Handles Expands to the Middle East,” QSR Magazine, June 30, 2014.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Susan M. Novick, “Yogurt Your Way,” New York Times, October 15, 2010.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Jennifer Peros, “Celeb Sightings! See Where Your Favorite Stars Hung Out This Week,” Us Weekly, May 28, 2014.
  15. ↑ “16 Handles Frozen Yogurt Expanding Along the East Coast,” yeahthatskosher.com, December 31, 2013.
  16. ↑ Cindi Avila, “Healthy food swaps for the 4th of July,” Fox News, July 3, 2014.
  17. ↑ Devra Ferst, “16 Handles Debuts Breakfast Tomorrow; Beer Discounts at Marta,” New York Eater, February 24, 2015.
  18. ↑ Bao Ong, “Black Tap Craft Burgers & Veer Debuts in Soho; Tocqueville Honors 15 Years,” Gotham, March 10, 2015.
  19. ↑ John McDermott, “Brands Experiment With Photo Messaging Service Snapchat, Facebook Poke,” Advertising Age, January 4, 2013.
  20. ↑ Andre Kay, “Snapchat for Small Business: Consider 3 Key Factors,” Entrepreneur, March 19, 2015.
  21. ↑ Lauren Indvik, “Announcing the Winners of Our 2013 Marketing Award: The Mashies,” Mashable, October 10, 2013.
  22. ↑ Jenna Marotta, “Sam Grittner and Abbi Crutchfield On Girls: ‘Relapsing Looks Like Fun!’,” bedfordandbowery.com, February 24, 2014.
  23. ↑ Michelle Young, “NYC Film Locations: Broad City Season 2 on Comedy Central,” Untapped Cities, February 9, 2015.
  24. ↑ “Wolf of FroYo,” Us Weekly, April 29, 2014.
  25. ↑ “Katie Holmes, Suri Cruise, Jonah Hill and Daniel Radcliffe all love…” Naughty Gossip, May 30, 2014.

External links