Brandwave

How popular isMcDonald's in search?

In August 2026, there were an estimated 276K branded searches for McDonald's in New Zealand which is down 20.4% over the last 11 months. McDonald's holds 26.1% estimated Share of Search among New Zealand fast food chains and is ranked 2nd of 12 competitors for search popularity.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. KFC28.5%
  2. McDonald's26.1%
  3. Burger King14.5%
  4. Taco Bell6.9%
  5. Subway4.9%
  6. Wendy's4.4%
  7. Popeyes3.9%
  8. Carl's Jr.3.4%
  9. Pita Pit2.9%
  10. Nando's2.8%
  11. +2 more
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Which fast food chains compete with McDonald's?

McDonald's against fast food chains in New Zealand, by month

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

View monthly share of search table
MonthKFCMcDonald'sBurger KingTaco BellSubwayWendy'sPopeyesCarl's Jr.Pita PitNando'sZambreroMexicali Fresh
Oct 202534%25.7%14.5%4.4%3.8%3.9%3.5%3.8%2.7%2.1%0.83%0.62%
Nov 202531%28.5%13.5%4.8%4.2%4.2%3.8%3%3.1%2.2%0.93%0.66%
Dec 202528.2%31.8%13.5%6%4.2%3.9%3.4%2.5%2.7%2.1%1%0.59%
Jan 202623.8%32.5%14.8%6.4%4.8%4.4%3.7%2.8%3.1%2.2%0.93%0.65%
Feb 202625.8%32.1%14.2%6%4.3%3.9%3.4%3%3.5%2.2%1%0.7%
Mar 202625.2%31.1%14.3%6.1%5.1%4.7%3.3%2.9%3.3%2.4%0.99%0.67%
Apr 202625.5%31.4%14.4%6.2%5%4%3.6%3%2.8%2.5%0.99%0.57%
May 202627.4%27.1%16.7%6.4%4.4%3.9%3.7%3.1%2.8%2.8%1%0.6%
Jun 202628.8%25.8%15.5%6.7%4.7%4.2%3.8%3.3%2.8%2.7%1%0.62%
Jul 202629.1%25.9%14.4%7.3%4.6%4.4%3.7%3.3%2.9%2.9%0.94%0.64%
Aug 202628.5%26.1%14.5%6.9%4.9%4.4%3.9%3.4%2.9%2.8%0.95%0.67%
Sep 2026————————————

  1. 1.KFC

    28.5%

    held 1st · 301K estimated branded searches · -4.2% vs prior month · -0.5 points

  2. 2.McDonald's

    26.1%

    held 2nd · 276K estimated branded searches · -1.5% vs prior month · +0.2 points

  3. 3.Burger King

    14.5%

    held 3rd · 153K estimated branded searches · -1.4% vs prior month · +0.1 points

  4. 4.Taco Bell

    6.9%

    held 4th · 72.9K estimated branded searches · -7.5% vs prior month · -0.4 points

  5. 5.Subway

    4.9%

    held 5th · 51.3K estimated branded searches · +2.4% vs prior month · +0.2 points

  6. 6.Wendy's

    4.4%

    held 6th · 46.9K estimated branded searches · -1.6% vs prior month · 0 points

  7. 7.Popeyes

    3.9%

    held 7th · 41.2K estimated branded searches · +4% vs prior month · +0.2 points

  8. 8.Carl's Jr.

    3.4%

    held 8th · 36.1K estimated branded searches · -0.08% vs prior month · +0.1 points

  9. 9.Pita Pit

    2.9%

    moved from 10th to 9th · 31K estimated branded searches · +0.62% vs prior month · +0.1 points

  10. 10.Nando's

    2.8%

    moved from 9th to 10th · 29.2K estimated branded searches · -7.7% vs prior month · -0.2 points

  11. 11.Zambrero

    0.95%

    held 11th · 10K estimated branded searches · -2.3% vs prior month · 0 points

  12. 12.Mexicali Fresh

    0.67%

    held 12th · 7.1K estimated branded searches · +2.3% vs prior month · 0 points

Compare search popularity between McDonald's and its closest rivals

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

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for McDonald's in New Zealand fell from 346K to 276K.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, McDonald's’ estimated Share of Search among fast food chains in New Zealand peaked at 32.5% in January 2026 and was lowest at 25.7% in October 2025.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand fast food chains in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, KFC lost estimated Share of Search among fast food chains in New Zealand, from 29.1% to 28.5%.

  2. Wendy's’ estimated Share of Search among fast food chains in New Zealand has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 3.9% to 4.4% in August 2026.

  3. In August 2026, Pita Pit rose from 10th to 9th among fast food chains in New Zealand.

  4. In August 2026, Nando's fell from 9th to 10th among fast food chains in New Zealand.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Taco Bell in New Zealand rose 24.4% over 11 measured months, from 58.6K to 72.9K in August 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Carl's Jr. in New Zealand fell 30.1% over 11 measured months, from 51.6K to 36.1K in August 2026.

How is McDonald's measured?

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using McDonald'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.

31 branded search terms

  • big mac mcdonalds
  • mcdonald's
  • mcdonald's delivery
  • mcdonald's menu
  • mcdonald's near me
  • mcdonald's nz
  • mcdonalds
  • mcdonalds airport
  • mcdonalds albany
  • mcdonalds apps
  • mcdonalds belmont
  • mcdonalds burgers
  • mcdonalds co nz
  • mcdonalds deals
  • mcdonalds delivery
  • mcdonalds egg mcmuffin
  • mcdonalds fries
  • mcdonalds happy meal
  • mcdonalds linwood
  • mcdonalds mcflurry
  • mcdonalds menu
  • mcdonalds near me
  • mcdonalds new zealand
  • mcdonalds nz
  • mcdonalds online
  • mcdonalds online ordering
  • mcdonalds prices
  • mcdonalds restaurant
  • mcdonalds richmond
  • mcdonalds toy
  • mcdonalds wellington

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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