Supposedly, everything is bigger in Texas and up until now, that adage has certainly held true for Whole Foods Market, which has their 80,000-sq. foot flagship store located in Houston. The company is now planning an even larger store for San Jose, California. At 86,000-sq. feet, the store will be the largest Whole Foods in the US and probably will hold the title for some time despite the fact that Whole Foods does seem to love large stores. With restaurants and spas opening inside supermarkets, what was once one-stop-shopping is now a shopping experience.

But is this getting out of hand? How large can a grocery store before it gets too big? This new Whole Foods, which will be located at the intersection of Blossom Hill Road and Almaden Expressway, will take up about 2 acres without including space for loading docks and parking. It's safe to say that it isn't exactly necessary to have a store that large, but do you prefer to seek out the biggest stores for your shopping when given the choice between a larger and smaller store of the same type?

What could possibly be the world's most confusing naming system, the Wendy's "biggie" sizing, is coming to an end. The company, which is the 3rd largest burger chain in the US, decided that the names "small," "medium" and "large" are easier for customers to use, despite the fact that they have been imposing the "biggie" sizes for over a decade.

Unfortunately, the change might not be all that less confusing to customers. The old sizing system was small (16-oz.), medium (20-oz), Biggie (32-oz.) and Great Biggie (42-oz.). The new system is small (20-oz.), medium (32-oz) and large (42-oz.), with no extra large; each size is significantly larger than it was only 1 week ago, with the smallest size eliminated, not to mention that it is different (still larger) than other fast food restaurants.

Reuters mentions that this change to larger drink sizes comes after the company, in an attempt to promote their food as healthier, nearly eliminated trans fats from their foods. Calories must be "healthier," then, right?

 

In America, bigger is always seen as better. This is perfectly exemplified by the food industry, where simply getting a taco at an establishment might mean loosening your belt buckle a few notches. It always seems like fast food enterprises are trying to outdo each other--either through quantity or eye candy. I found a very hilarious short video that truly exemplifies the banal side of restaurant portions. I really couldn't stop laughing at this one.