I’m a big believer that oatmeal is a good thing – and the more oatmeal the better. That’s why I was doing little cartwheels in my office (or would have been, if I knew how to do cartwheels and my office were big enough) when I heard that Burger King was adding oatmeal to its breakfast menu.

Maybe those were just mental cartwheels, but Burger King’s oatmeal is the real thing. I can attest to that, because I stopped at BK on the way back from the gym this morning, and checked it out. The oatmeal comes in two varieties – plain or maple and brown sugar. The plain is (sure enough) plain oatmeal with a little half and half mixed in, while the maple and brown sugar also adds a dried fruit blend of cranberries, raisins, cherries and blueberries. As you can see in the photo above, the oatmeal comes from Quaker; it’s the same oatmeal many of us grew up enjoying at home.

It’s amazing and glorious how oatmeal has become “the new norm” at chain restaurants over the last few years. It started with Starbucks in September 2008, with what turned out to be the most successful food introduction ever for that chain. Jamba Juice followed suit in March 2009 (mmm… steel cut oats, my favorite), and before long a host of other restaurants, including Au Bon Pain, Caribou Coffee, and Cosi all began to feature oatmeal. McDonald’s made a big splash in January of this year with its own oatmeal, and now the party’s complete with Burger King’s new move.

This is Burger King’s second whole grain product. Last summer the chain introduced its Tendergrill® Chicken Sandwich with a whole grain ciabatta roll – a sandwich that sources tell us is doing well for BK. We’re glad to see more and more whole grain choices at chain outlets around the country. Check out our restaurant list to see just how widespread this movement has become! (Cindy)