Big Gulp is a line of fountain drinks owned by 7-Eleven and used at its namesake stores as well as A-Plus, Speedway, and Stripes Convenience Stores. While the name is in reference to the original drink, it has since expanded to include various other sizes.
History
The Big Gulp was introduced in 1976 by Dennis Potts, the merchandise manager for 7-Eleven in the Southern California market in the 1970s. Wanting to help lagging sales at the stores, The Coca-Cola Company suggested to Potts that they use a then-unheard of 32 ounce cup (940 ml) for their drinks. At the time, the average Coca-Cola bottle contained , while the largest fountain drink available was at McDonald's at .
Despite Potts's objections, he agreed to send a case of to a 7-Eleven location in Orange County. Much to his surprise, the store sold out of the cups within a week, prompting 7-Eleven to expand the Big Gulp line nationwide. Shortly after the initial rollout of the Big Gulp, 7-Eleven changed suppliers and went from using cups that mimicked milk cartons to the current circular design, eventually forcing automakers to change the design of cupholders due to the Big Gulp's success. Called Big Gulp because it was initially the largest such drink available at any retailer, 7-Eleven eventually introduced larger sizes. In 1986, they introduced the Super Big Gulp, followed by the Double Gulp in 1989 (later reduced to ), and eventually as limited time offerings the X-Treme Gulp and Team Gulp.
Much like the Big Gulp's sister Slurpee line, the Big Gulp was originally served behind the counter by 7-Eleven employees. However, by the mid-1980s fountain machines were placed on the main sales floor and offered as a self-service option, making the Big Gulp line the first self-service fountain drink, something that would become the industry standard by the 1990s.
Following the acquisition of rival chains such as A-Plus, Speedway, and Stripes, 7-Eleven introduced the Big Gulp line at those stores in a mostly cosmetic change, as the Big Gulp cups replaced those stores' existing fountain cups.
Sizes
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