Business & Tech

Did Brooks Patterson Inspire 7-Eleven's Big Gulp?

It's not likely, though it made for a good story during the official grand opening celebration of the Rochester Hills store.

The first 7-Eleven store in Rochester Hills was recently welcomed to the city's business family — and Oakland County's executive was ribbed as having had a place in the convenience store's history. 

David Walker of the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce emceed the event and offered up some trivia about the store and its popular Big Gulp soft drink and Big Bite hot dog. 

"Rumor has it, these items were named after Brooks; he never does anything small - it's always big," Walker said about L. Brooks Patterson, who attended the event.

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The crowd, about 50 strong, burst into laughter, during the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon at the Rochester Road store.

Walker explained, tongue-in-cheek, that when the 32-ounce Big Gulp was introduced in the 1970s it was the biggest soft drink on the market, but "Brooks said 'it ain't big enough, so 7-Eleven introduced the giant 64-ounce Double Big Gulp beverage, in honor of Brooks."

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Patterson is a personal friend of Rochester Hills 7-Eleven owners Steve and Diane Pearson. Sitting in his wheelchair in front of the store's Slurpee machines, Patterson read a satirical "resolution" that warned the city about its new 7-Eleven store before reading the official proclamation.

Diane Pearson grew up in Rochester Hills and said she was excited to own a business in a city with such a strong business community.

"You can't be successful and strong without a strong family and strong friends," she said, thanking her family's supporters during the grand opening celebration. 


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