Brandwave

Five Guys vs Shake Shack:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Five Guys had more branded searches than Shake Shack among milkshake brands worldwide. Five Guys had about 18,100 branded searches, while Shake Shack had 7,600. Five Guys made up 4% of all milkshake brand searches we track, and Shake Shack accounted for 1.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about milkshake brands, Five Guys and Shake Shack each appeared in three of the five answers. Shake Shack was mentioned before Five Guys in every answer that named either.

Among milkshake brands worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Five Guys, about 2 searches for every 1 for Shake Shack

Five Guys 18.1K searchesShake Shack 7.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 3 of 5 answers.

Five Guys in 3 of 5Shake Shack in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Shake Shack, named ahead of Five Guys in 3 of 3 answers

Shake Shack first in 3Five Guys never first

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Top milkshake brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Five Guys and Shake Shack were each mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Shake Shack was listed before Five Guys in every answer that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Shake Shack1st
  2. Five Guys2nd
  3. Chick-fil-A3rd
  4. Shaken Udder4th
  5. Frijj5th
  6. Yazoo6th
  7. Nesquik–
  8. Crusha–
  9. Cravendale–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Chick-fil-A3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Five Guys3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Shake Shack3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Shaken Udder1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Yazoo1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Frijj1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Nesquik0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Crusha0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Cravendale0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about milkshake brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Five Guys or Shake Shack more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Five Guys and Shake Shack by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine milkshake brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Five Guys and Shake Shack among milkshake brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Five Guys, Shake Shack. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNesquikChick-fil-AFive GuysShake ShackShaken UdderYazooCrushaFrijjCravendale
Oct 202585.2%5.1%4.2%1.6%1.2%1%0.68%0.55%0.36%
Nov 202580.6%7.2%4%3.4%1.8%1.2%0.79%0.64%0.42%
Dec 202583.1%6.1%4.1%2.9%1.2%0.99%0.81%0.43%0.36%
Jan 202682.7%6.1%5%2%1.2%1.2%0.81%0.54%0.43%
Feb 202683.5%6.2%4.1%2%1.2%1.2%0.82%0.54%0.36%
Mar 202681.5%7.3%4.9%1.7%1.5%1.2%0.97%0.64%0.35%
Apr 202681.4%7.3%4.9%2%1.5%1.2%0.8%0.64%0.35%
May 202688.5%4.4%2.9%1.2%1.1%0.71%0.58%0.47%0.21%
Jun 202677.4%8.5%5.7%2.3%2.1%1.4%1.1%1.1%0.33%
Jul 202681.4%7.3%4.9%1.6%1.5%1.2%0.97%0.8%0.35%
Aug 202679.6%8.8%4.8%1.9%1.4%1.4%0.95%0.78%0.35%
Sep 202682.1%7.4%4%1.7%1.5%1.2%0.98%0.65%0.42%

How has the Five Guys and Shake Shack comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Five Guys was ahead of Shake Shack in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Five Guys’ share of searches among milkshake brands worldwide moved from 4.2% to 4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 22.2K to 18.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shake Shack’s share of searches among milkshake brands worldwide moved from 1.6% to 1.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 8.7K to 7.6K.

How did search popularity change for milkshake brands worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Five Guys lost share of searches among milkshake brands worldwide, from 4.8% to 4%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Shake Shack worldwide fell 12.5% over 12 measured months, from 8.7K to 7.6K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Five Guys’ and Shake Shack’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Five Guys

2 branded search terms

  • five guys milkshake
  • five guys shake

Shake Shack

2 branded search terms

  • shake shack milkshake
  • shake shack shake

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among milkshake brands

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

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