16 Handles Introduces New Store Model That's Optimized for Off Prem

16 Handles has opened a new smaller-footprint retail model in NYC's Tribeca neighborhood that's designed to best serve the brand’s customers and franchisees alike in a changing market.

The Tribeca location is the brand’s smallest full-service shop, with a strategic location and design intended to leverage delivery and order-ahead in addition to 16 Handles’ traditional, in-store experience.

Even before COVID-19, 16 Handles spent years pioneering off-premise services that allow guests to order soft serve for local delivery, often in less than 30 minutes. Most recently, 16 Handles partnered with Lunchbox, a New York-based technology company that powers the brand’s native online ordering experience and mobile app. The partnership allows 16 Handles to offer a seamless, omnichannel ordering experience, reducing reliance on marketplace delivery services.

“For us, the Tribeca franchise represents not only an opportunity for us to serve a new community in our hometown of New York City, but also a realized vision of our latest retail model that emphasizes smaller shops and off-premise and order-ahead sales channels to bring our products to guests in relevant ways,” says CEO and founder Solomon Choi. “Although this year has certainly been a challenge, the market can also afford us and our franchisees strategic opportunities for growth based on a business model that meets both present and future consumer needs. Ultimately, people are still looking for ways to celebrate and treat themselves, and our goal is to make 16 Handles accessible and enticing for all of those moments.”

In addition to seeking favorable leases for smaller spaces, 16 Handles looks to place franchisees in locations that offer both strong residential and commuter populations. Through 16 Handles’ native ordering website and app, the shop delivers throughout Downtown, including in Battery Park, the Financial District, and SoHo.