Brandwave

McDonald's vs Raising Cane’s:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, McDonald's had more branded searches than Raising Cane’s among fast food chains worldwide. McDonald's had about 101 million branded searches, while Raising Cane’s had 2.2 million. McDonald's made up 41.7% of all fast food chain searches we track, and Raising Cane’s accounted for 0.92%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about fast food chains, McDonald's appeared in all four answers and Raising Cane’s in two. McDonald's was mentioned before Raising Cane’s in every answer.

Among fast food chains worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

McDonald's, about 45 searches for every 1 for Raising Cane’s

McDonald's 101M searchesRaising Cane’s 2.2M searches

Who does AI mention more?

McDonald's, mentioned in every answer we collected

McDonald's in 4 of 4Raising Cane’s in 2 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

McDonald's, named ahead of Raising Cane’s in every answer

McDonald's first in 4Raising Cane’s never first

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Top fast food chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, McDonald's appeared in all four answers. Raising Cane’s was mentioned in two out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. McDonald's was listed before Raising Cane’s in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Chick-fil-A1st
  2. McDonald's2nd
  3. Taco Bell3rd
  4. Wendy's4th
  5. Popeyes5th
  6. Subway6th
  7. Raising Cane’s7th
  8. Shake Shack8th
  9. Burger King–
  10. KFC–
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • McDonald's4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Chick-fil-A4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Taco Bell4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Wendy's3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Popeyes2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Raising Cane’s2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Shake Shack2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Subway1 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Burger King0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • KFC0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about fast food chains

4 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 19, 2026.

Is McDonald's or Raising Cane’s more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for McDonald's and Raising Cane’s by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 fast food chains we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

McDonald's and Raising Cane’s among fast food chains worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for McDonald's, Raising Cane’s. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMcDonald'sBurger KingChick-fil-AKFCSubwayTaco BellWendy'sPopeyesCarl's Jr.Raising Cane’sShake ShackNando's
Oct 202541%12.4%10.1%10.1%8.3%6.7%5.5%3%0.91%0.74%1.1%0.02%
Nov 202543.8%10.8%8.8%10.8%7.2%7.2%4.8%3.2%1.2%0.97%1.2%0.02%
Dec 202546.1%11.3%9.2%11.3%6.2%6.2%4.1%2.8%1%0.83%1%0.02%
Jan 202642%12.7%10.4%10.4%6.9%6.9%4.6%3.1%0.93%0.93%1.1%0.02%
Feb 202640.3%12.1%9.9%12.1%8.1%6.6%4.4%3%1.1%1.1%1.3%0.02%
Mar 202641.4%12.5%10.2%10.2%8.4%6.8%4.5%3.1%0.92%0.92%1.1%0.02%
Apr 202641.5%12.5%10.2%10.2%8.4%6.8%4.6%3.1%0.92%0.75%1.1%0.02%
May 202641.6%12.5%10.3%10.3%8.4%6.8%4.6%2.5%0.92%0.92%1.1%0.02%
Jun 202641.8%12.6%10.3%10.3%8.4%6.9%4.6%2.5%0.93%0.76%0.93%0.02%
Jul 202646.4%11.4%9.3%9.3%7.6%6.2%5.1%2.3%0.84%0.68%0.84%0.02%
Aug 202645.3%11.1%9.1%11.1%7.5%6.1%5%2.2%0.82%0.82%1%0.02%
Sep 202641.7%12.6%10.3%10.3%8.4%6.9%4.6%2.5%0.92%0.92%0.92%0.02%

How has the McDonald's and Raising Cane’s comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, McDonald's lost share of searches among fast food chains worldwide, from 45.3% to 41.7%.

  2. In September 2026, Raising Cane’s rose from 11th to 10th among fast food chains worldwide.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using McDonald's’ and Raising Cane’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.

McDonald's

1 branded search term

  • mcdonalds

Raising Cane’s

2 branded search terms

  • raising cane's
  • raising canes

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among fast food chains

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