Virginia's first 16 Handles frozen dessert shop has scooped its way into Newport News, setting up shop inside the Jefferson Commons shopping center with 16 rotating flavors of frozen yogurt, soft-serve and sorbet, plus more than 50 toppings for customers to pile on. The self-serve concept, long a Tri-State area staple, opened in September at 12551 Jefferson Ave., giving Hampton Roads its first taste of a brand that has spent the past few years pushing hard into new territory outside the Northeast.
A Father-Son Business Bet Pays Off
The Newport News location is run by franchise co-owner Arun Acharya, a York County resident who has called Hampton Roads home for more than two decades, according to The Virginian-Pilot. Acharya, who holds an MBA from William & Mary and has a background in insurance and financial planning, said he pursued the franchise opportunity after his son Atharv expressed interest in starting a business of his own. Earlier this year, the pair traveled to Houston to complete official 16 Handles training before opening the doors in Newport News.
“I wanted to bring happiness to the area and give people a reason to be together,” Acharya said, per the same report. He added that his personal go-to order is New York cheesecake frozen yogurt topped with mango and nuts — a flavor combination that captures the shop's self-serve, build-your-own appeal.
Inside the Jefferson Commons Shop
Shoppers pulling their own soft-serve handles will find flavors that rotate with the seasons, alongside vegan and dairy-free choices on the menu. The shop is open daily from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It sits inside Jefferson Commons, a shopping center spanning more than 280,000 square feet anchored by Trader Joe's, Kohl's, T.J. Maxx and Ross, according to CommercialCafe, which notes the retail corridor along Jefferson Avenue averages more than 50,000 vehicles daily.
The brand's dairy-free offerings trace back to a 2021 partnership with Oatly, which produced oat milk-based vegan soft serve and limited-time flavors like Pumpkin Spice and Marshmallow S'mores, as detailed by VegNews. Each store runs co-branded Oatly handles alongside the traditional frozen yogurt and sorbet lineup.
From a Single East Village Shop to National Growth
16 Handles was founded in New York City's East Village in 2008 by Solomon Choi, who built the brand as the city's first self-serve frozen yogurt shop before selling the business in 2022. Choi died in June 2024 at age 44, according to Restaurant Business Magazine. The chain's name is a nod to its model of offering 16 rotating soft-serve spigots at a time, and also a playful reference to the 1984 film “Sixteen Candles,” as noted by Forbes.
Largest franchisee Neil Hershman acquired the entire chain in August 2022 alongside YouTube creator Danny Duncan, who came aboard as chief creative officer to lead expansion beyond the Tri-State area, per PR Newswire. The company now operates 67 franchises across the country, having built its base primarily in the Northeast before pushing south, per the Virginian-Pilot's reporting. Corporate filings confirmed in January that Newport News and Virginia Beach were both targeted for Spring 2026 debuts as part of the brand's formal entry into the Virginia market.
Riding a Wave of Franchise Growth
The Newport News opening lands amid a stretch of record momentum for the chain. During the first half of 2026, 16 Handles posted a 30% year-over-year increase in same-store sales and signed 25 new franchise agreements across 10 states, according to Franchise Brief — a pace that already topped the company's total franchise signings for all of 2025. A 2025 franchise launch in Forest Acres, South Carolina, generated $1 million in gross sales within its first six months, Entrepreneur reported, a benchmark that underscores the kind of results new owners outside the Northeast have been chasing.
Opening a new 16 Handles location isn't cheap: the company's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document lists a $30,000 initial franchise fee and total estimated investment ranging from $249,500 to $664,000, according to Vetted Biz.
