16 Handles
An American self-service frozen-yogurt chain built around customizable desserts, toppings, and payment by weight.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
16 Handles is an American self-service frozen-yogurt company founded by Solomon Choi in New York City in 2008. Its retail concept gives customers direct control over the construction of their dessert: guests select one or more frozen-yogurt flavors from the machines, determine the amount they want, move to a toppings bar, and add ingredients before paying by weight. This format makes customization and customer participation central to the brand experience rather than treating frozen yogurt as a fixed, staff-assembled product. The name reflects the concept’s original flavor variety. According to the company’s Wikipedia account, the brand referred to having 16 rotating frozen-yogurt flavors available at a given time; the name also plays on the title of the film Sixteen Candles. The flavor selection is therefore part of the brand’s identity as well as an operational feature, although the precise number and mix of flavors can vary by location and period. The product experience is centered on frozen yogurt and an open toppings bar. Toppings described in reference material include fruits, candies, nuts, sauces, and other dessert additions. Customers can combine flavors and toppings in individualized portions, with the final price determined by the weight of the completed cup. This service model is the principal feature distinguishing 16 Handles from conventional dessert counters where staff assemble a prescribed menu item. Over time, 16 Handles developed a multi-unit presence in the United States. Reference material identifies locations or units in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, South Carolina, and Florida, and reports that the chain had reached 35 units in 2022. The business has also used digital tools and social-media marketing, including a mobile application and activity on Snapchat. These initiatives complement the self-service model by extending customer engagement beyond the store and supporting a more digitally oriented retail experience. In 2022, the company was acquired by New York entrepreneur Neil Hershman. Hershman became chief executive officer, while YouTube personality Danny Duncan became chief creative officer. The acquisition marked a change in the company’s leadership and ownership structure, although publicly available reference material does not establish the transaction’s price, financing, or detailed post-acquisition strategy. Solomon Choi, the founder, died in June 2024. Current information on the exact store count, corporate legal structure, financial performance, and geographic distribution is limited; those details are not inferred here.
History
16 Handles was established by Solomon Choi in New York City in 2008 as a self-service frozen-yogurt business. The company’s founding concept was based on allowing customers to assemble their own dessert rather than selecting only from fixed, preconfigured menu items. Customers could choose frozen-yogurt flavors from the store’s machines, control the quantity dispensed into their cups, select toppings, and then pay according to the weight of the finished product. The brand name is tied to the variety of flavors associated with the original format. The company’s Wikipedia entry explains that the name referred to 16 rotating frozen-yogurt flavors available at a given time and also served as a reference to the film Sixteen Candles. Flavor rotation and the ability to combine several selections were important parts of the customer experience, giving the chain a differentiated identity within the frozen-dessert category. The store journey typically proceeds from the frozen-yogurt machines to a toppings bar. Available choices have included fruits, candies, nuts, sauces, and other dessert additions. Because customers determine both the amount of frozen yogurt and the toppings they want, the format combines personalization with a pay-by-weight pricing system. This approach also turns the store visit into an interactive experience, with the customer functioning as the principal assembler of the product. 16 Handles expanded beyond its original New York presence into a broader United States network. Reference material identifies units in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Texas, South Carolina, and Florida, and reports that the chain had grown to 35 units in 2022. Publicly available material does not provide a sufficiently complete chronology of every opening, closure, franchise agreement, or store-count change, so a full location-by-location expansion history cannot be established here. The company also adopted digital and social-media tools as part of its retail and marketing activity. Its reported initiatives included mobile applications and advertising or engagement through Snapchat. These efforts extended the brand’s customization-oriented and youth-focused store experience into digital channels, although detailed campaign dates, budgets, performance figures, and creative executions are not established by the available references. A major ownership and leadership change occurred in 2022, when New York entrepreneur Neil Hershman acquired the company. Hershman became chief executive officer, and YouTube personality Danny Duncan became chief creative officer. Available reference material does not disclose the purchase price, the legal structure of the acquisition, or a detailed operating plan following the transaction. In June 2024, founder Solomon Choi died. The company’s current corporate scale, financial results, exact store portfolio, and long-term ownership arrangements remain insufficiently documented in the supplied sources.
- 2024
Founder Solomon Choi dies
[1]Solomon Choi, the company’s founder, died in June 2024.
- 2022
Chain reported at 35 units
[1]Reference material reports that the company had expanded to 35 units in the United States by 2022.
- 2022
Ownership and leadership transition
[1]Neil Hershman acquired 16 Handles and became chief executive officer; Danny Duncan joined as chief creative officer.
- 2008
16 Handles founded in New York
[1]Solomon Choi founded 16 Handles in New York City as a self-service frozen-yogurt business.
Products and positioning
A customizable, experience-led frozen-yogurt retailer focused on flavor variety, self-service, and customer-selected toppings.
Frozen dessert · 2008
Self-serve frozen yogurt
The core 16 Handles offering is frozen yogurt dispensed by customers from store machines. Guests can select one or several flavors and control the quantity placed in their cups. The brand is associated with a rotating selection of flavors, with the name referring to an original model built around 16 available flavors. The completed serving is generally priced by weight, linking the product directly to the self-service format.
Dessert toppings · 2008
Toppings bar
The toppings bar is a central component of the 16 Handles experience. Customers add ingredients to their frozen yogurt after selecting the base flavors. Reference material identifies fruits, candies, nuts, sauces, and other options among the available categories. The toppings system supports extensive customer-created combinations, while the final cup remains part of the pay-by-weight transaction.
Prepared dessert experience · 2008
Customized frozen-yogurt desserts
Rather than a single standardized menu item, 16 Handles sells a customer-built dessert assembled from frozen yogurt and selected toppings. The format allows variation in flavor combinations, portion size, and ingredients. This customizable product experience is the principal expression of the brand’s positioning and is delivered through its in-store self-service model.
Brand decisions
2022
Acquisition by Neil HershmanM&ABackground
After developing a multi-unit frozen-yogurt business in the United States, 16 Handles underwent an ownership and leadership transition in 2022.
Action taken
Neil Hershman acquired the company and became chief executive officer. Danny Duncan joined the business as chief creative officer.
Aftermath
The supplied references establish the new leadership arrangement but do not provide the transaction price, financing details, legal structure, or a detailed account of subsequent operating changes.
Recent events
Reported
16 Handles launches oat milk soft serve[3]
16 Handles launched its first two oat milk soft-serve flavors, Chocolate Devotion and Dreamboat Coconut, at all of its stores.
Reported
16 Handles launches Wicked-inspired sorbet flavors[4]
16 Handles launched Glinda’s Strawberry Vanilla and Elphaba’s Green Apple sorbets, created in collaboration with Wicked. The flavors were available at all 16 Handles locations for a limited time.
Sources5 sources
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