Brandwave

How popular isWendy's in search?

In September 2026, there were an estimated 11.1M branded searches for Wendy's worldwide which is down 18.4% over the last 12 months. Wendy's holds 5.2% estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide and is ranked 6th of 9 competitors for search popularity. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, September 2026
  1. McDonald's47.5%
  2. Burger King14.3%
  3. KFC11.7%
  4. Subway9.6%
  5. Taco Bell7.8%
  6. Wendy's5.2%
  7. Popeyes2.9%
  8. Carl's Jr.1.1%
  9. Nando's0.02%
Wendy's website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Wendy's and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Where does Wendy's compete?

Wendy's is ranked in three competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of SearchRanking
Fast food chains6th of 95.2%Shown below
Pos Screen brands2nd of 69.9%Show ranking
Queen Street brands1st of 775.7%Show ranking

Which fast food chains compete with Wendy's?

Wendy's against fast food chains worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Popeyes. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthMcDonald'sBurger KingKFCSubwayTaco BellWendy'sPopeyesCarl's Jr.Nando's
Oct 202546.6%14%11.5%9.4%7.7%6.3%3.5%1%0.03%
Nov 202549.2%12.1%12.1%8.1%8.1%5.4%3.6%1.3%0.03%
Dec 202551.8%12.7%12.7%6.9%6.9%4.6%3.1%1.1%0.02%
Jan 202648%14.5%11.8%7.9%7.9%5.3%3.6%1.1%0.02%
Feb 202646%13.8%13.8%9.2%7.5%5.1%3.4%1.2%0.03%
Mar 202647.2%14.2%11.6%9.5%7.8%5.2%3.5%1%0.02%
Apr 202647.2%14.2%11.6%9.5%7.8%5.2%3.5%1%0.02%
May 202647.5%14.3%11.7%9.6%7.8%5.2%2.9%1.1%0.03%
Jun 202647.5%14.3%11.7%9.6%7.8%5.2%2.9%1.1%0.02%
Jul 202652%12.8%10.4%8.6%7%5.7%2.6%0.94%0.02%
Aug 202650.9%12.5%12.5%8.4%6.8%5.6%2.5%0.92%0.02%
Sep 202647.5%14.3%11.7%9.6%7.8%5.2%2.9%1.1%0.02%

  1. 1.McDonald's

    47.5%

    Held 1st. 101M estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -3.4 points.

  2. 2.Burger King

    14.3%

    Held 2nd. 30.4M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.8 points.

  3. 3.KFC

    11.7%

    Held 3rd. 24.9M estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.

  4. 4.Subway

    9.6%

    Held 4th. 20.4M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.2 points.

  5. 5.Taco Bell

    7.8%

    Held 5th. 16.6M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1 points.

  6. 6.Wendy's

    5.2%

    Held 6th. 11.1M estimated branded searches, -18.4% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  7. 7.Popeyes

    2.9%

    Held 7th. 6.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

  8. 8.Carl's Jr.

    1.1%

    Held 8th. 2.2M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  9. 9.Nando's

    0.02%

    Held 9th. 44.4K estimated branded searches, -9.9% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between Wendy's and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Wendy's

How has branded search demand for Wendy's changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Wendy's worldwide fell from 13.6M to 11.1M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wendy's’ estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide decreased from 6.3% to 5.2%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wendy's’ estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide peaked at 6.3% in October 2025 and was lowest at 4.6% in December 2025.

How did search popularity change for fast food chains worldwide in September 2026?

  1. In September 2026, Burger King gained estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide, from 12.5% to 14.3%.

  2. In September 2026, Subway gained estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide, from 8.4% to 9.6%.

  3. In September 2026, Taco Bell gained estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide, from 6.8% to 7.8%.

  4. In September 2026, McDonald's lost estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide, from 50.9% to 47.5%.

  5. In September 2026, KFC lost estimated Share of Search among fast food chains worldwide, from 12.5% to 11.7%.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Wendy's worldwide fell 18.4% over 12 measured months, from 13.6M to 11.1M in September 2026.

How is Wendy's measured?

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Wendy's’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

1 branded search term

  • wendys

Do you work for Wendy's? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Wendy's your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

Start free