What’s driving frozen yogurt’s second act, as 16 Handles and Go Greek experience a renaissance

Store of the Future // August 10, 2026 What’s driving frozen yogurt’s second act, as 16 Handles and Go Greek experience a renaissance By Gabriela Barkho 16 Handles On hot summer days, some people are waiting in line for over 30 minutes to pay upward of $10 a cup for frozen yogurt.

That may sound like a sentence that was written in 2010, but this is a 2026 phenomenon. Frozen yogurt is once again having a moment. Upscale concepts like Mimi’s (which sells Australian-style frozen yogurt) and Go Greek are going viral for generating lines around-the-clock in New York City this summer.

Some are even opting to get froyo for breakfast to avoid the crowds. The resurgence of frozen yogurt shops has been attributed to a confluence of trends. Some of it has to do with Gen Z’s affinity for viral experiential shops, combined with an interest in the wellness benefits associated with yogurt, such as gut health and high protein.

While much of the current buzz surrounds flashy new entrants and pop-up activations, like Mimi’s and Go Greek, established players like 16 Handles say they are also experiencing quiet growth.

By leveraging a long-standing operational foundation and a franchise model, the company says its stores are experiencing double-digit growth that can be sustained beyond the current froyo hype. But that hasn’t stopped other brands from hopping on the frozen yogurt bandwagon to promote their own products in an approachable, better-for-you format.

Incumbents adapt This isn’t the first time frozen yogurt has had a moment. TCBY, one of the big players in the 2010s, actually burst onto the scene back in the 1980s. In the 2010s, the trend was defined by the colorful storefronts of self-service chains like Pinkberry and Red Mango.

Customers flocked to chains in search of a healthier dessert, but one where they could also mix-and-match different flavors and toppings. Popular players opened dozens of stores; after opening its first storefront in 2005, Pinkberry hit 154 locations by 2014.

These concepts even made their way into pop culture phenomena, most prominently as a beloved afterlife treat on “The Good Place.” With the expansion of multiple players came a saturation that led to a decline in sales and eventual consolidation.

Pinkberry, for instance, was acquired in 2015 by Kahala Brands, a multi-concept franchising company that owns Cold Stone Creamery and Wetzel’s, among other food service concepts. One player that has persisted over the years is 16 Handles, which was founded in 2008.

Known for its full service dessert shops and 16 rotating soft-serve flavors, the company has been on a high-growth trajectory in the last few years partly thanks to frozen yogurt’s resurging popularity. The company has signed 25 new franchise agreements in the first half of 2026, surpassing the total signed in 2025.

Neil Hershman, CEO of 16 Handles, originally came on as a franchisee in 2019 before becoming CEO in 2022. Since then, he has been on a quest to grow the New York City-based chain. “To me, frozen yogurt has always been cool, especially in cities like New York,” Hershman told Modern Retail.

But he suspects this frozen yogurt renaissance to be a reaction to indulgent concepts such as sugary cookies and pastries that have taken over social media in recent years. “People were waiting in line for high-calorie cookies, but some want a healthier dessert they can have more often,” he said.

Overall, Hershman said a focus on improving stores’ operational efficiencies and unit economics has been key to expanding. He said the company has also reacted to the renewed interest by frozen yogurt by investing more in marketing and unique limited-edition releases to drum up buzz.

This year, 16 Handles released a limited-edition kefir probiotic soft serve. “We’ve also done these crazy flavors, like a french fry frozen yogurt made with real Idaho potatoes,” Hershman said. But generally, Hershman said 16 Handles’ growth is due to “great marketing and a team focus on product and customer experience, which has driven more loyalty for us.”

Hershman said that with so many viral newcomers in the category,16 Handles has remained relatively under the radar despite being around the longest. “We’re rarely mentioned because, in some sense, we’re sort of the McDonald’s of frozen yogurt and everybody already knows us,” Hershman said.

“There will be brands that have staying power and ones that are going in for the hype,” he added. Hershman said that, by far, the biggest challenge in running full-service frozen yogurt shops is the capital-intensive supply chain. “Running a commercial frozen yogurt operation takes a specific type of pasteurization process,” he said.

16 Handles sources its frozen yogurt from a Midwest giant creamery partner. “We’ve seen same-store sales increase up to 30% from the time I acquired the b