Brandwave

How popular isDenny's?

In September 2026, people searched for Denny's by name about 12,200 times in New Zealand, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 13.6% of all New Zealand casual dining chain searches, placing Denny's third out of six chains. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about casual dining chains, Denny's appeared in two of the five answers and was the fourth most recommended of the six.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Denny's is the third most searched of 6 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Nando'sShare of searches 46.7%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. Lone StarShare of searches 13.9%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. Denny'sShare of searches 13.6%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. Speight's Ale HouseShare of searches 11.4%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  5. The Good HomeShare of searches 7.3%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th

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Top casual dining chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Denny's was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Denny's is the fourth most recommended of the six.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Nando's1st
  2. Lone Star2nd
  3. Cobb & Co3rd
  4. Denny's4th
  5. The Good Home5th
  6. Speight's Ale House6th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Nando's2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Lone Star2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Denny's2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • The Good Home2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Cobb & Co2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Speight's Ale House1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about casual dining chains

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 20, 2026.

Which casual dining chains compete with Denny's?

Denny's against casual dining chains in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Nando's, Lone Star, Denny's, Speight's Ale House, The Good Home, Cobb & Co. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNando'sLone StarDenny'sSpeight's Ale HouseThe Good HomeCobb & Co
Oct 202548.2%14.7%13.2%10.8%6.8%6.2%
Nov 202546.6%14.6%12.6%12.8%8.3%5.1%
Dec 202542.6%16.5%13.6%14%7.4%5.8%
Jan 202642.6%16.8%11.5%14.2%7.6%7.3%
Feb 202643.5%16.6%11.6%14.1%7.4%6.8%
Mar 202647.2%14.2%11.6%14.2%7.5%5.3%
Apr 202645.8%13.6%13.5%13.6%7.2%6.3%
May 202648.4%16.4%11%11.1%7.1%5.9%
Jun 202646.2%15%12.2%12.3%7.9%6.4%
Jul 202646.7%15.7%11.3%11%7.1%8.2%
Aug 202648.4%14.4%11.7%11.8%7.5%6.2%
Sep 202646.7%13.9%13.6%11.4%7.3%7.2%

  1. 1.Nando's

    46.7%

    Held 1st. 42.1K estimated branded searches, -0.68% vs prior month. Share -1.8 points.

  2. 2.Lone Star

    13.9%

    Held 2nd. 12.5K estimated branded searches, -0.4% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  3. 3.Denny's

    13.6%

    Moved from 4th to 3rd. 12.2K estimated branded searches, +19.9% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.

  4. 4.Speight's Ale House

    11.4%

    Moved from 3rd to 4th. 10.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  5. 5.The Good Home

    7.3%

    Held 5th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  6. 6.Cobb & Co

    7.2%

    Held 6th. 6.5K estimated branded searches, +18.6% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

Compare popularity between Denny's and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Denny's

5 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Denny's changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Denny's in New Zealand held steady, from 12.8K to 12.2K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Denny's’ share of searches among casual dining chains in New Zealand peaked at 13.6% in December 2025 and was lowest at 11% in May 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand casual dining chains in September 2026?

4 changes

  1. In September 2026, Denny's overtook Speight's Ale House to rank 3rd among casual dining chains in New Zealand, with 13.6% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Cobb & Co gained share of searches among casual dining chains in New Zealand, from 6.2% to 7.2%.

  3. In September 2026, Nando's lost share of searches among casual dining chains in New Zealand, from 48.4% to 46.7%.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Lone Star in New Zealand fell 12.3% over 12 measured months, from 14.3K to 12.5K in September 2026.

How are Denny's’ branded searches counted?

6 search terms

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

  • denny's menu
  • dennys
  • dennys highland park
  • dennys hrs
  • dennys menu
  • dennys restaurant

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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