Breaking Bread ft. Solomon Choi, Founder and CEO of 16 Handles
OpenCity’s CEO, Nick Belsito “Breaks Bread” with Solomon Choi, Founder and CEO of 16 Handles, as they discuss the importance of a brand’s voice and building customer loyalty by really knowing your customer’s needs and behaviors.
Solomon grew up in the restaurant business by working for his father in Southern California. Hospitality was always in his blood. Solomon approaches it from a brand and marketing perspective focusing on how do you create the most positive and emotional connection with one’s brand — why should the customer care about what you’re selling?
He started 16 Handles in 2008 and became New York City’s #1 frozen yogurt and dessert brand, that focuses on celebrating the customer’s individuality. 16 Handles were the first to offer the self-serve fro-yo concept in NYC. The brand features eco-friendly packaging, sustainability, and the sensory visuals/branding of 16 Handles is very consistent across all marketing channels — targeting mostly the millennial female.
When asked about the 1 or 2 key things that Solomon would advise another restaurateur/entrepreneur to do from a branding perspective to help them stand apart, he said “know what your brand stands for, as this will lead to why the customer should care about you; and personalization is key, as the more you know about your customer, the better and more targeted your message (to them) will be.”
Solomon and Nick concluded their conversation by discussing the importance of doing branding and marketing by the in-house team (owners, managers, staff, etc.,). You can outsource the creative or the email marketing piece, but the brand message and why your brand matters has to come from the people that manage it day-to-day.
For more info on OpenCity visit opencity.co
To find a 16 Handles near you visit 16handles.com
