Brandwave

How popular isMcDonald's?

In September 2026, people searched for McDonald's by name about 183,000 times in New Zealand, a 28.6% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 21% of all New Zealand fast food chain searches, placing McDonald's second out of 14 chains. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about fast food chains, McDonald's appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the 14.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

McDonald's is the second most searched of 14 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. KFCShare of searches 26.5%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  2. McDonald'sShare of searches 21%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. Burger KingShare of searches 13.8%Mentioned in 0 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. Hell PizzaShare of searches 9.1%Mentioned in 1 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  5. Taco BellShare of searches 5.8%Mentioned in 1 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th

+9 more

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Top fast food chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, McDonald's appeared in all three answers. McDonald's is the second most recommended of the 14.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. BurgerFuel1st
  2. McDonald's2nd
  3. KFC3rd
  4. Wendy's4th
  5. Subway5th
  6. Hell Pizza6th
  7. Carl's Jr.7th
  8. Taco Bell8th
  9. Pita Pit9th
  10. Burger King–
  11. +4 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • KFC3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • McDonald's3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • BurgerFuel3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Subway3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Wendy's2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Hell Pizza1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Taco Bell1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Carl's Jr.1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Pita Pit1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Burger King0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers

+4 more

See every answer about fast food chains

3 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Which fast food chains compete with McDonald's?

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

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthKFCMcDonald'sBurger KingHell PizzaTaco BellNando'sWendy'sCarl's Jr.BurgerFuelPopeyesPita PitZambreroSubwayMexicali Fresh
Oct 202531%21.6%11.9%10.1%3.6%3.9%3.6%4%2.8%3.4%2.2%0.84%0.59%0.48%
Nov 202528.7%23.8%11.4%9.4%4%4.3%3.9%3.1%3.1%3.6%2.5%0.95%0.64%0.54%
Dec 202526.5%25.6%11.8%10%5.4%3.9%3.6%2.7%2.8%3.3%2.3%1%0.48%0.48%
Jan 202621.6%28%12.9%9.1%5.7%4.3%4.1%3%3.1%3.6%2.5%0.96%0.64%0.53%
Feb 202623.8%26.5%12.2%10.2%5.2%4%3.6%3.3%2.8%3.3%2.9%1%0.61%0.59%
Mar 202623.5%26.6%12.3%9.8%5.2%4.2%4.2%3.3%2.7%3.3%2.7%1%0.7%0.56%
Apr 202623.6%26.7%12.3%9.8%5.4%4.3%3.6%3.4%3.3%3.3%2.2%1%0.67%0.46%
May 202624.7%23.2%14.2%9.9%5.5%4.5%3.5%3.4%3.3%3.5%2.2%1%0.69%0.47%
Jun 202626.2%21%13.5%10.5%5.7%4.2%3.8%3.5%3.6%3.6%2.3%1.1%0.74%0.5%
Jul 202626.6%21.3%11.7%10.5%6%4.8%3.9%3.6%3.6%3.5%2.3%0.91%0.73%0.51%
Aug 202626.2%21%11.9%11%5.9%4.8%4%3.7%3.1%3.7%2.4%0.96%0.82%0.53%
Sep 202626.5%21%13.8%9.1%5.8%4.8%4.1%3.8%3.1%3%2.4%0.98%0.89%0.54%

  1. 1.KFC

    26.5%

    Held 1st. 231K estimated branded searches, -0.34% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  2. 2.McDonald's

    21%

    Held 2nd. 183K estimated branded searches, -1.5% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  3. 3.Burger King

    13.8%

    Held 3rd. 120K estimated branded searches, +14.4% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.

  4. 4.Hell Pizza

    9.1%

    Held 4th. 79.8K estimated branded searches, -17.8% vs prior month. Share -1.8 points.

  5. 5.Taco Bell

    5.8%

    Held 5th. 51K estimated branded searches, -2.9% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  6. 6.Nando's

    4.8%

    Held 6th. 42.2K estimated branded searches, -0.64% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Wendy's

    4.1%

    Held 7th. 35.5K estimated branded searches, +1.2% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  8. 8.Carl's Jr.

    3.8%

    Held 8th. 33.2K estimated branded searches, +0.36% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  9. 9.BurgerFuel

    3.1%

    Moved from 10th to 9th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  10. 10.Popeyes

    3%

    Moved from 9th to 10th. 26.5K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  11. 11.Pita Pit

    2.4%

    Held 11th. 21.3K estimated branded searches, -0.7% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  12. 12.Zambrero

    0.98%

    Held 12th. 8.6K estimated branded searches, +0.71% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  13. 13.Subway

    0.89%

    Held 13th. 7.8K estimated branded searches, +6.6% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  14. 14.Mexicali Fresh

    0.54%

    Held 14th. 4.7K estimated branded searches, +0.85% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between McDonald's and its closest rivals

Every comparison with McDonald's

13 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for McDonald's in New Zealand fell from 257K to 183K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McDonald's’ share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand decreased from 21.6% to 21%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McDonald's’ share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand peaked at 28% in January 2026 and was lowest at 21% in June 2026.

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

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Burger King gained share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand, from 11.9% to 13.8%.

  2. In September 2026, Hell Pizza lost share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand, from 11% to 9.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Popeyes lost share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand, from 3.7% to 3%.

  4. Nando's’ share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 4.2% to 4.8% in September 2026.

  5. In September 2026, BurgerFuel rose from 10th to 9th among fast food chains in New Zealand.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Taco Bell in New Zealand rose 18.6% over 12 measured months, from 43K to 51K in September 2026.

How are McDonald's’ branded searches counted?

19 search terms

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.

  • big mac mcdonalds
  • mcdonald s
  • mcdonald's menu
  • mcdonalds
  • mcdonalds airport
  • mcdonalds albany
  • mcdonalds apps
  • mcdonalds belmont
  • mcdonalds burgers
  • mcdonalds delivery
  • mcdonalds egg mcmuffin
  • mcdonalds fries
  • mcdonalds happy meal
  • mcdonalds linwood
  • mcdonalds mcflurry
  • mcdonalds menu
  • mcdonalds restaurant
  • mcdonalds richmond
  • mcdonalds toy

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