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.

Much to his surprise, the store sold out of the cups within a week, prompting 7-Eleven to expand the Big Gulp line nationwide.

[2][3] Called Big Gulp because it was initially the largest such drink available at any retailer, 7-Eleven eventually introduced larger sizes.

[6] While the proposal was never enacted, perhaps in response to the proposal 7-Eleven began phasing out the Big Gulp name in North America to generic 7-Eleven branded cups and sizes, with the Big Gulp name being minimized to the bar code on the cups denoting a fountain drink as opposed to a Slurpee or an iced coffee.

This was eventually reversed due to 7-Eleven's acquisitions of Stripes and Speedway and wanting a universal cup design for the stores.