What Happened To Chick-Fil-A's Oatmeal?
Chick-fil-A may be a popular place to go for breakfast thanks to its chicken biscuits, but the chain also once had more nutritious offerings thanks, in part, to its hot oatmeal bowls. However, you won't find the item in restaurants anymore.
With fruit cups, Egg White Grills, and Greek yogurt parfaits, Chick-fil-A's breakfast menu surprisingly has quite a few options for those who'd rather not begin their day with a chicken sandwich. In 2011, the chain added another nourishing item to its breakfast menu: the multigrain oatmeal, which was launched after feedback from customers indicated the need for healthier breakfast options on the menu.
With 120 calories and 2.5 grams of fat per eight-ounce serving no toppings included, the multigrain oatmeal certainly seemed like it ticked all the boxes of health-conscious Chick-fil-A fans. Despite a seemingly loyal fanbase, however, the chain sadly bid farewell to the oatmeal in 2016. The oatmeal now sits in the Chick-fil-A's Hall of Fame with other former legends after a short four-year run.
Why Chick-fil-A discontinues fan-favorite items
The multigrain oatmeal wasn't the only seemingly popular item that Chick-fil-A discontinued in 2016. Spicy chicken biscuits were axed, coleslaw and carrot & raisin salads were discontinued, and cinnamon clusters — oatmeal's fellow Hall of Fame neighbor — were removed from the menu for good. Though it may all seem bizarre, there are reasons why Chick-fil-A discontinues items, even those that are a favorite.
David Farmer, the former vice president of menu strategy and development, told Business Insider that some items are simply not as popular as they seem to be. The spicy chicken biscuits, for example, only raked in 0.5% of total Chick-fil-A sales. Additionally, the chain also needs to make space for new items. The result? The spicy chicken biscuits and oatmeal bowls had to make way for the chain's Egg White Grill.
Items are also scrapped if they hold down the line or are painstakingly slow to make. As it turns out, that could very well have been the reason for oatmeal's departure. According to the launch press release, Chick-fil-A's multigrain oatmeal was to put all other instant oatmeals to shame. Chick-fil-A's version was "slow cooked in kettles to retain the nutritional value naturally found in oats" and could then be customized with one of three toppings: cinnamon brown sugar, roasted mixed nuts, or a dried fruit blend. While Chick-fil-A hasn't confirmed this was the reason, all that slow cooking surely couldn't have been easy to do during rush hours now, could it?