MIAMI -- First, Burger King Holdings Inc. ditched its iconic King character. Now, the quick-service restaurant chain has shifted its focus toward the needs of moms and families.Burger King is trying to attract women and children by adding strawberry smoothies, Asian chicken salads and more. On Tuesday, PepsiCo also announced that more than 7,200 U.S. Burger King restaurants would begin serving Quaker whole-grain oatmeal. Quaker, a brand under PepsiCo's umbrella, is offering Original and Fruit-Topped Maple Flavors during Burger King's regular breakfast hours of 6 to 10 a.m.The dramatic changes at the fast-food chain follow its $3.93 billion sale to private equity firm 3G Capital Inc. in October. But Joel Cohen, president of the Cohen Restaurant Marketing Group, told Bloomberg that the change might be too severe. "It's a dramatic switch, so you're in danger of losing loyal customers who loved the original brand," he said. However, Steve Wiborg, executive vice president and president of Burger King North America, told the television network his company will continue to be the place for people who crave burgers. "We going to continue [offering burgers]," he said. "But we also need to broaden our target."
