"When McDonald's got rid of its Supersize menu in 2004 it eliminated those sizes from the menu, which some attributed to backlash over the unhealthy nature of such huge meals. But when Wendy's followed suit in 2006 and got rid of Biggie sizes, it wasn't actually limiting customer choices. The Biggie simply became Wendy's new medium and stayed the same size, and the Great Biggie became the large, while the old medium became the small."
"This was attributed to two things at the time. One was the term "biggie," which was considered to have a stigma in an era when fast food restaurants were trying to make their meals healthier. The other was simple clarity. Customers were reportedly confused by the Biggie name when it was only Wendy's large, so the company decided to just simplify the names, so people knew what they were getting."
"Wendy's drink sizes didn't change at the time, although they've gotten smaller since. In 2006 a Biggie drink was 32 ounces, and a Great Biggie was 42 ounces. The old medium, which became the new small, was 20 ounces. While Wendy's doesn't list drink sizes on its menu today, a look at the calorie count for the largest sizes suggests the large holds about 24-26ish ounces of liquid, although the cups are still bigger to account for ice."
Wendy's phased out the Biggie naming in 2006 by reassigning size names rather than shrinking portions: the Biggie became the medium, the Great Biggie became the large, and the previous medium became the small. The change aimed to simplify menu clarity and remove the 'biggie' label amid a growing emphasis on healthier perceptions of fast food. McDonald's had eliminated Supersize in 2004 amid criticism of oversized meals, and Wendy's followed with renaming rather than reducing offerings. Drink volumes at the time were a 32-ounce Biggie, a 42-ounce Great Biggie, and a 20-ounce former medium; current large cups hold roughly 24–26 ounces of liquid.
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