Brandwave

Casual dining chains in New Zealand:Which brands are most popular in search?

Denny's and Speight's Ale House share the highest estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand, at 32% and 31.6% in August 2026.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Denny's32%
  2. Speight's Ale House31.6%
  3. Cobb & Co19.6%
  4. Lone Star16.8%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the sit-down restaurant chains New Zealanders book for family meals. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand, by month

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

View monthly share of search table
MonthDenny'sSpeight's Ale HouseCobb & CoLone Star
Oct 202537%31.5%18.2%13.3%
Nov 202536.2%35.9%15%13%
Dec 202535.3%34.1%15.7%14.9%
Jan 202629.9%35.8%20.2%14.1%
Feb 202630%36.1%18.9%14.9%
Mar 202630.6%37.2%16.1%16.1%
Apr 202633.7%33.6%18.1%14.7%
May 202631.3%31.5%19%18.1%
Jun 202632.2%32.4%19%16.4%
Jul 202630.4%29.8%24.3%15.5%
Aug 202632%31.6%19.6%16.8%
Sep 2026————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.Denny's

    32%

    held 1st · 11.2K estimated branded searches · -3.7% vs prior month · +1.6 points

  2. held 2nd · 11.1K estimated branded searches · -2.9% vs prior month · +1.8 points

  3. 3.Cobb & Co

    19.6%

    held 3rd · 6.9K estimated branded searches · -26.3% vs prior month · -4.8 points

  4. 4.Lone Star

    16.8%

    held 4th · 5.9K estimated branded searches · -0.17% vs prior month · +1.4 points

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among casual dining chains in New Zealand?

Denny's and Speight's Ale House share the highest estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand, at 32% and 31.6% in August 2026.

New Zealand casual dining chains, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
Denny's37% → 32%37%Oct 202529.9%Jan 20261st
Speight's Ale House31.5% → 31.6%37.2%Mar 202629.8%Jul 20262nd
Cobb & Co18.2% → 19.6%24.3%Jul 202615%Nov 20253rd
Lone Star13.3% → 16.8%18.1%May 202613%Nov 20254th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Denny's’ estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand decreased from 37% to 32%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cobb & Co’s estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand increased from 18.2% to 19.6%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lone Star’s estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand increased from 13.3% to 16.8%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Denny's’ estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand peaked at 37% in October 2025 and was lowest at 29.9% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Speight's Ale House’s estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand peaked at 37.2% in March 2026 and was lowest at 29.8% in July 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cobb & Co’s estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand peaked at 24.3% in July 2026 and was lowest at 15% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lone Star’s estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand peaked at 18.1% in May 2026 and was lowest at 13% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Speight's Ale House held steady: its estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

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

  1. In August 2026, Speight's Ale House gained estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand, from 29.8% to 31.6%.

  2. In August 2026, Denny's gained estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand, from 30.4% to 32%.

  3. In August 2026, Lone Star gained estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand, from 15.5% to 16.8%.

  4. In August 2026, Cobb & Co lost estimated Share of Search among casual dining chains in New Zealand, from 24.3% to 19.6%.

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