In the 1990′s, the yogurt-chain Tasti D-Lite seemingly appeared on more New York City street corners than Starbucks does today.  Fat-free yogurt became such a fad that the then-hit sitcom Seinfeld aired an entire episode devoted to the subject — or rather, an episode that questioned how such a delicious dessert could actually be healthy.

Despite the lunacy of the episode itself, it triggered a real-life health study, which in 2002, revealed that Tasti D-Lite was not nearly as healthy as it advertised.

The negative study results didn’t necessarily stunt Tasti D-Lite’s growth as a company, as the large yogurt chain plans to spread its wings internationally, but it did leave a bad taste in consumer’s mouths. Why would a prospective customer ever walk into an establishment, and ask to be served a chocolate and vanilla swirl lie with rainbow sprinkle deception?

The first step to winning back customers was actually making frozen yogurt healthy. New yogurt outlets like Pinkberry and Red Mango did just that, focusing on the actual health benefits of yogurt by using nutritionally conscious ingredients like live active cultures (which contain pro-biotics). All of a sudden, frozen yogurt had a real case against its more fatty, extremely delicious brother, ice cream.

But even though Pinkberry and Red Mango took off initially, their business plan went stale after awhile. In fact, Red Mango has already closed various locations.

Call it psychological, but there’s just something about dispensing one’s own yogurt and toppings that makes the experience less corporate and more natural. Perhaps that’s why self-serve yogurt shops started becoming so popular. In Los Angeles, places like Froyo Life and Yogurtland became the go-to’s for frozen yogurt aficionados.

And just like in so many other industries, the Los Angeles-based “self-serve” fad headed east to New York City. To-date, the most recognizable self-serve yogurt joint in New York is 16 Handles.

Solomon Choi, who opened 16 Handles in 2008, credits Pinkberry with making the health-conscious jump. Yet in regards to why Pinkberry and Red Mango’s appeal has faded, Choi asserts, “The reason for that is not necessarily that they have a bad product, but people prefer this [self-serve] type of a format.”

After Choi’s East Village’s location took off, he decided to open another location on the Upper East Side, in Jericho, Long Island, Paramus, New Jersey, and most recently, on the Upper West Side. The self-serve yogurt king is also looking to cut ribbon in Soho, the West Village, Chelsea, and possibly even outside the Tri-State area.

While 16 Handles’ expansion from a small business to potentially massive chain is in the works, Choi still treats his booming company like a Mom and Pop shop.

For instance, the CEO feels strongly about personally social networking with customers via Twitter and Facebook, claiming, “It’s very important as a new and emerging brand to have that kind of close connection with your customers.”

As popular and thriving as 16 Handles is now, one must remember that the frozen yogurt business has been around since the late-1980’s. “Health-conscious” and “self-serve” might be the formula for success today, but it’s safe to assume that not even Choi knows how the next wave of frozen yogurt will evolve.