Happy Throwback Thursday! Today our throwback year is 1976 — disco ruled the airwaves, bell-bottoms were everywhere, and at 7-Eleven, something big (literally) was about to change how Americans drank their soda.
That year, Dennis Potts, a merchandise manager for 7-Eleven in Southern California, was looking for a way to boost lagging sales. The Coca-Cola Company pitched a bold idea: what if 7-Eleven started selling fountain drinks in a massive 32-ounce cup — double the size of the typical 16-ounce Coke bottle and far bigger than McDonald’s largest 20-ounce drink?
Potts was skeptical, but he gave it a try. He sent a case of 500 oversized cups to a 7-Eleven store in Orange County. To everyone’s surprise, the store sold out in less than a week. The Big Gulp was an instant hit — and soon rolled out nationwide.
From Milk Cartons to Cupholders
The first Big Gulp cups looked more like milk cartons, but 7-Eleven quickly switched to the now-iconic circular design. The drink became so popular that automakers eventually redesigned car cupholders to fit it — a true mark of its cultural impact.
7-Eleven hired the Sanford Advertising Agency to brand the new product, which came with the slogan:
“7-Eleven’s Big Gulp gives you another kind of freedom: Freedom of choice.”
That “freedom” came in ever-bigger sizes. The Super Big Gulp (44 oz) arrived in 1986, the Double Gulp (64 oz) in 1989, and later the Team Gulp, a one-gallon (128 oz!) limited-time offering — the largest fountain drink in the world.
A Sip of Innovation
Like its frozen cousin, the Slurpee, the Big Gulp originally had to be served by store employees. But by the mid-1980s, 7-Eleven introduced self-serve fountain machines, making the Big Gulp the first self-service fountain drink — a concept that became standard across the convenience industry.
7-Eleven was also a trailblazer in other ways: the first convenience store to offer to-go coffee cups and ATM services, redefining what “convenience” really meant.
Big Drink, Big Debate
As portion sizes grew, so did criticism. The Big Gulp became a symbol of America’s growing waistline, and in the 2010s, it even found itself at the center of political debate. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on oversized sodas was often nicknamed the “Big Gulp Ban.” Though it never took effect, 7-Eleven began quietly phasing out the Big Gulp branding in favor of generic 7-Eleven cups.
From Ice Houses to Global Giant
Long before the Big Gulp, 7-Eleven’s story began in 1927 as the Southland Ice Company in Dallas, Texas. An employee started selling bread, milk, and eggs alongside blocks of ice, and locals loved the convenience. The stores became known as Tote’m Stores (because customers “toted” away their goods), complete with decorative totem poles out front.
In 1946, the company changed its name to 7-Eleven to celebrate its extended hours — 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week — revolutionary for the time. By 1961, 7-Eleven began franchising, and today, it operates or licenses about 85,000 stores in 20 countries.
Japan leads the way with nearly 25% of all 7-Elevens worldwide, proving that the brand’s reach — and the Big Gulp’s legacy — go far beyond American highways.