Introduction Oatmeals: A Journey into Healthy Entrepreneurship

OatMeals is a culinary concept that was represented on the popular television show Shark Tank season 10 episode 7. It reimagines the conventional breakfast staple, oatmeal refreshingly and differently.

OatMeals is the brainchild of Samantha Stephens. She was a former finance professional. But she has an immense passion for creative gastronomy.

She established OatMeals as an exceptional oatmeal bar and cafe in the heart of New York City. The basic feature of OatMeals is its customizable menu based on oatmeal.

Customers were able to choose from a wide range of more than 30 sweet, savoury, and pastry dishes, offering a nourishing alternative for customers who are very conscious about diet and willing to experiment with unique flavours.

The company added different ingredients to every dish like bacon, chocolate chips, truffle oil, and shaved parmesan. The restaurant kept its menu limited to not only breakfast, but it also extended its services to offer lunch and dinner options.

OatMeals was popular for its signature oatmeal bowls. One of such oatmeal bowls was the Elvis which contained peanut butter, banana, bacon, honey, and sea salt.

Besides the physical location, the company wanted to prepare items so that they could distribute them to grocery stores. In this way, they aimed to expand the availability of their products.

OatMeals is an ideal choice as it is committed to offering healthy, reasonable and fulfilling meals. The restaurant is based on the versatility of oatmeal which is a wholesome cereal popular for its high fibre content and multiple health benefits.

Through OatMeals, Stephens wanted to break the redundancy of conventional oatmeal consumption. That is why she introduced a lot of combinations.

OatMeals portrayed a change toward conscious eating, catering to a growing need for healthy yet delicious meals.

The relentless endeavour of the founders for creativity increased the value proposition of the business. She served as Creative Oatmeal Officer at Quaker Oats where she used to teach others about the various unique ways to serve oatmeal.

Although the physical location of OatMeals was compelled to shut down because of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, the brand’s spirit did not stop. The products of the company are available online. Stephens kept sharing her love of oatmeal all over the world with her efforts.

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What Are OatMeals?

OatMeals is the world’s first all-oatmeal café, which has been featured on the popular television show Shark Tank. As a food organization, it provides contemporary twists on an old-fashioned favourite, oatmeal.

OatMeals serves 100% natural, whole grain steel-cut oats with pride and all their pastries are baked in-house utilizing rolled oats and oat flour.

The café has a strong social media presence. It has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, which you can access by clicking the particular icons.

OatMeals offerings are not just restricted to conventional oatmeal dishes but also contain inventive and tasty variations. Some of their latest offerings are as follows: 

• Oat bran is a healthy option to conventional oatmeal with more protein and fibre.
• Cinnamon-flavored oatmeal that tastes like warm & gooey cinnamon rolls.
• Overnight oats topped with a snowflake stencil and dusted with powdered sugar, cinnamon, or cocoa powder.
• Oatmeal transformed with butter and a little bit of flaky sea salt paired with dark raisins, roasted pecans, and cinnamon.
• A comforting breakfast oatmeal perfect for holiday mornings.
• A simple, clean breakfast option of oatmeal topped with fresh blueberries and dried cranberries after indulgent holiday dinners.

At OatMeals, you can enjoy the wholesome goodness of oats in different delicious manners.

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What Is The Concept and Menu Of OatMeals? 

• OatMeals offers a diverse menu that lets customers customize their oatmeal bowls.
• The menu includes different grains, toppings, and flavours, catering to a wide range of flavours.
• Toppings include fresh fruits, nuts, spices, and unconventional options like truffle oil and bacon.

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How Did Oatmeals Become Popular?

OatMeals became popular within a short time for the following reasons: 

• OatMeals is known for its inventive and uncommon oatmeal creations, providing a unique twist to a classic breakfast dish.
• The cafe has earned popularity for its capability to turn oatmeal into a versatile and gourmet option, appealing to both health-conscious people and those aspiring to a flavorful breakfast or snack.

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Who Is The Person Behind The Foundation Of OatMeals?

Samantha Stephens is the founder of OatMeals.  She is from Virginia. But Samantha Stephens later shifted to Manhattan to pursue her undergraduate studies. After completing her graduation, she started a career in investment banking, but she felt that she had not yet found her real calling.

When Samantha was living in New York as a student she had to maintain a budget. That is why she often ate oats for breakfast, lunch and dinner. From this, she came up with the idea of OatMeals.

In place of considering oats as a boring meal, she started to experiment with various and frequent enjoyable mixtures, putting flavour and interest into her regular diet.

Her creative strategy was also influenced by New York’s vibrant and modern restaurant scene and her dedication to healthy living.

Stephens turned her love for oats and culinary creativity into a business venture.

She enrolled herself in evening entrepreneurship and pastry arts courses at New York University and The International Culinary Center in 2010. She carried on these academic courses alongside her full-time work to attain the essential knowledge and skills to set up her oatmeal restaurant.

In this way, OatMeals was born in the middle of 2012 in New York City’s West Village. The restaurant was a unique concept offering oat-based dishes that catered to different types of tastes and dietary preferences.

It became popular within a short time because of its unique approach which turned staple food into a customizable, exciting, and wholesome meal. Before coming up on Shark Tank, Samantha Stephens managed to achieve significant success with OatMeals.

The Oatmeal Restaurant NYC managed to generate $2.5 million in revenue by 2018 six years after its birth.

Moreover, Stephens had also started to play the role of a spokesperson for Quaker Oats, where she continued her mission of publicizing oats’ versatility and nutritive value. Nonetheless, she anticipated greater opportunities for OatMeals.

Intending to expand and develop OatMeals products for grocery stores all over the nation, she was looking for the assistance of investors. That is why she decided to pitch her concept on Shark Tank.

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OatMeals Shark Tank Experience

The Shark Tank pitch of OatMeals, presented by the founder Samantha Stephens, was an ambitious presentation to revolutionize how people perceive and consume oatmeal.

Samantha came up on Shark Tank intending to get an investment of $500,000 in exchange for a 20% equity stake in her business, valuing OatMeals at $2.5 million.

Samantha depicted the customizable nature of OatMeals to the sharks, illustrating how the staple food can be made fun, exciting, and healthy. She summarized her vision to use the requested investment to develop from her 380-square-foot establishment in New York City to larger OatMeals locations, intending to make her unique oatmeal restaurant concept available to a wider audience.

During her pitch, Samantha disclosed that OatMeals had generated $2.5 million in sales over the past six years. She also projected the income for the current year to be just under $500,000.

Despite these remarkable financials, the sharks had individual concerns relating to the scalability and viability of the business in the highly competitive restaurant industry.

Although not engraved with the financial numbers, Kevin O’Leary was the first to drop out from the deal, showing no interest in making an offer. Daymond John also departed the deal, citing his inability to see a quick return on his investment.

The rest of the sharks had different ideas for OatMeals. Lori Greiner was the first to make an offer. She was ready to invest a deal of $500,000 in exchange for a 33.3% stake in the business, pledging to leverage her connections to get OatMeals into companies like Starbucks.

On the other hand, Barbara Corcoran imagined OatMeals as a cart business. She offered $500,000 for 50% equity but specified that the investment should only be used for transitioning to the cart business model.

Eventually, Samantha accepted Lori Greiner’s offer of $500,000 in exchange for a  33.3% equity. However, post Shark Tank, the deal with Lori did not come to completion, and the consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 led to the closure of OatMeals.

As of this update, the only OatMeals product available is their Signature Granola, which can be bought through the company’s website.

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OatMeals Shark Tank Update

After coming up on Shark Tank, OatMeals, the oatmeal restaurant founded by Samantha Stephens in 2012, experienced a series of growths and challenges. It was initially presented as a café with creative oatmeal bowls and oat-based pastries. But soon OatMeals grabbed the attention of Quaker Oats and was featured on the show to secure investment for the growth of the business.

Samantha Stephens represented her vision on Shark Tank intending to get an investment of $500,000 in exchange for a 20% equity stake in OatMeals. While her business proposal impressed the sharks, Lori Greiner gave an offer of $500,000 for a third of the company, which Samantha acknowledged.

Samantha initially planned to use the investment to expand her business from her modest New York City location to larger venues. Nonetheless, despite the favourable outlook, OatMeals encountered challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the company faced a lot of problems related to a pandemic, it was compelled to close its physical location in January 2021. In reply OatMeals started to sell its products online, offering its signature granola and sharing recipes through its website.

Samantha Stephens retained an active online presence and remained engaged with Quaker Oats. While the physical OatMeals location had to shut down, there seems to be a continued fascination for the brand and its unusual offerings.

The hope remains for a possible return of OatMeals in the future, though the particular details and timeline of such a return are not available.

Although the company faced a lot of challenges after Shark Tank, the journey of OatMeals reflects the resilience of entrepreneurs in navigating unexpected circumstances and their devotion to sharing food ideas with a wider audience.

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Are OatMeals Still Active In Business?

As per our research, we have found that OatMeals, the oatmeal restaurant pitched on Shark Tank is not active in business any more.

Although the founder initially hoped to expand the business and get a deal on the Shark Tank show, OatMeals after Shark Tank encountered a lot of challenges that compelled the founder to close the physical location of the business.

After appearing on Shark Tank, OatMeals kept operating its physical location in New York City. Nevertheless, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the business faced a lot of significant challenges and was compelled to close its cafe in January 2021.

Although the physical restaurant was closed, OatMeals tried to adapt by moving to online sales. The brand continued to sell its signature granola through its website, and Samantha Stephens, the founder, was engaged with Quaker Oats and pursued projects such as a recipe blog and cookbook.

While the physical presence of OatMeals was closed, its effect and endeavours in promoting oat-based foods and healthy living continued through online platforms and collaborations with Quaker Oats.

In brief, we can say that OatMeals is no longer in action as a physical restaurant, but its brand and influence continue to be felt through online activities, collaborations, and endeavours to facilitate healthy oat-based eating.

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What Was The Net Worth Of OatMeals  After Appearing On Shark Tank?

As per our research, after appearing on Shark Tank and getting a deal from Lori Grenier in 2018, OatMeals had an approximate net worth of $1.5 million.

OatMeals Net Worth 2020

In 2020, OatMeals had an approximate net worth of $300,000.

OatMeals Net Worth 2021

In 2021, the estimated net worth of OatMeals was $350,000.

OatMeals Net Worth 2022

In 2022, OatMeals had an approximate net worth of $400,000.

OatMeals Net Worth 2023

As of 2023, OatMeals has an estimated net worth of $500,000.

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What Are The Positive Aspects Of OatMeals?

The positive aspects of OatMeals are as follows: 

• The only café in NYC selling all oatmeal-based treats.
• 30 signature bowls of savoury and sweet oatmeal to select from.
• Available in the frozen section of many grocery stores.

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What Are The Negative Aspects Of OatMeals?

The negative aspects of OatMeals are as follows: 

• Only one store/no franchise
• No options for visitors wanting something besides oatmeal or coffee

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Final Opinion

So it is clear that OatMeals is one of a kind. It does not have many alternatives both in terms of oatmeal options and quality. The cafe provides an amazing range of savoury and sweet oatmeal bowls, but it also guarantees its customers’ convenience by enabling them to pick up their favourite oatmeal bowl from a grocery store nearby. In the end, we would say that the future of OatMeals and its owner, Samantha Stephens looks bright. We are eagerly waiting to see more branches soon.

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