How Much Larger Are Fast Food Drink Sizes In The US Compared To The Rest Of The World?

There's the saying that "everything is bigger in Texas," but for a while now, that stereotype has applied to more than just the Lone Star State. Americans have long had a reputation for serving bigger portion sizes in just about everything, even boasting a documentary about the effects of our fast food industry titled "Super Size Me" (one of the best food movies ever created), and that status isn't entirely wrong. Especially when it comes to fast food, the U.S.'s massive sizes could swallow other countries whole.

If we look at drinks from fast food restaurants, American sizes tend to be at least 50% larger than those in other countries. The hosts of "Food Wars" shared an article with Business Insider comparing the sizes of McDonald's drinks in the U.S. to drinks from the U.K. and discovered that the small and large sizes of American drinks are a whopping 89% bigger than their U.K. cousins, while a U.S. size medium is 55% bigger. You'll see a similar comparison between a U.K. Starbucks versus a U.S. Starbucks, since the largest U.S. size is about 50% bigger than the largest U.K. size. Sitting side by side, the difference between countries is staggering.

At an American McDonald's, ordering a large drink will get you 32 fluid ounces, but order the same thing in the U.K. and you'll only get 17 fluid ounces (which is coincidentally almost equivalent to a U.S. size small). When it comes to Starbucks, Americans can order an iced venti beverage with 24 ounces, but in the U.K., that same size is only 20 ounces. Americans can also order a trenta at Starbucks, even though it's only available for certain drinks, which is a jaw-dropping 30 ounces. Users on social media have expressed their disbelief about the size differences, with one U.K.-based TikToker's video amassing 2.5 million likes and over 44,000 comments sharing his confusion.

Back in 1955, when McDonald's first partnered with Coca-Cola, drinks only came in a 7-ounce size. But today, in America, you can walk out with almost an entire liter. Although we can all agree that McDonald's Sprite and Coke taste better than they do at other fast food restaurants, why the huge discrepancy between sizes? It boils down to a few things, including an American societal viewpoint that "bigger is better." The trending phenomenon of upgrading sizes for a small increase in price has led to a generalized growth in American portion sizes. If you're visiting America for the first time, don't be surprised if you see someone walk out of a 7-Eleven gas station with a gallon-sized cup of Dr. Pepper — it's pretty normal around here.