When Tom and Teresa Eubanks went to O’ahu for their 20th anniversary, the adventure “churned” into something bigger — a business idea.
The couple went to a frozen yogurt shop on the island for the first time and loved the concept and lively atmosphere.
“Right then, I turned to my wife, Teresa, and said, ‘I need to be a part of this. This is incredible. I want this feeling all the time,’” Tom said.
Tom and Teresa parlayed those good vibes into Arizona’s first 16 Handles frozen yogurt and dessert shop, which opens at noon Saturday, March 28. Located at 4040 S. Arizona Ave., the 1,595-square-foot store will welcome its first 100 patrons with free frozen yogurt.
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All visitors will get 50% off yogurt from noon to 5 p.m. March 28, and a 25% discount the rest of the weekend. The Eubanks have hired 20 employees.
“I immediately fell in love with Chandler,” said Tom, a Dobson High School graduate. “It’s a great family-oriented community. Hamilton High School is right across the street.
“There’s a lot of activity. It’s vibrant and active, but my big focus is on families. I love sharing our products and our experiences with little kids. Throughout construction, little kids — 2, 3, 4 year olds — have stopped at the window and planted their faces against it.”
The store features 16 rotating soft-serve flavors, more than 50 toppings and sauces, and frozen novelties like cakes, take-home pints, and DŌ gourmet edible cookie dough.
Flavors have included French fry, Butter Beer and Dubai chocolate, along with staples like vanilla, cookies and cream, and original tart. Vegan flavors like oat milk vanilla soft serve also make an appearance.
“The oat milk vanilla really surprised me,” Tom said. “It’s incredible.”
16 Handles opened its first store in Manhattan’s East Village in 2008, becoming the first self-serve frozen yogurt shop in New York City. Since then, the brand has expanded to over 40 locations through franchising with a menu that includes frozen yogurt, ice cream, vegan soft serve, endless toppings, drinks, and other treats and snacks.
A Navy veteran, Tom spent 30 years working as an air traffic controller before retiring, while Teresa, a Miami-Globe native, is an accountant. They are real estate investors as well. Tom said the military prepared him for 16 Handles.
“There’s a lot of perseverance involved; a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “You just push through it, and everything will eventually fall into place.”
