McDonald's vs Taco Bell:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, McDonald's had more branded searches than Taco Bell among fast food chains in New Zealand. McDonald's had about 183,000 branded searches, while Taco Bell had 51,000. McDonald's made up 21% of all fast food chain searches we track, and Taco Bell accounted for 5.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about fast food chains, McDonald's appeared in all three answers and Taco Bell in one. McDonald's was mentioned before Taco Bell in every answer.
Who do people search for more?
McDonald's, about 4 searches for every 1 for Taco Bell
Who does AI mention more?
McDonald's, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
McDonald's, named ahead of Taco Bell in every answer
Follow McDonald's vs Taco Bell and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Top fast food chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions, McDonald's appeared in all three answers. Taco Bell was mentioned in one out of three: in one of the three ChatGPT answers. McDonald's was listed before Taco Bell in every answer.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
BurgerFuel1st- McDonald's2nd
KFC3rd
Wendy's4th
Subway5th
Hell Pizza6th
Carl's Jr.7th
Taco Bell8th
Pita Pit9th
Burger King–- +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
See every answer about fast food chains
3 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which fast food chain should I shop at in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best fast food chains in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best fast food chain in New Zealand for a quick meal?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“fast food nz”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“burger chains nz”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
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.
Is McDonald's or Taco Bell more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for McDonald's and Taco Bell by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 14 fast food chains we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for McDonald's, Taco Bell. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | KFC | McDonald's | Burger King | Hell Pizza | Taco Bell | Nando's | Wendy's | Carl's Jr. | BurgerFuel | Popeyes | Pita Pit | Zambrero | Subway | Mexicali Fresh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 31% | 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 2025 | 28.7% | 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 2025 | 26.5% | 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 2026 | 21.6% | 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 2026 | 23.8% | 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 2026 | 23.5% | 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 2026 | 23.6% | 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 2026 | 24.7% | 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 2026 | 26.2% | 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 2026 | 26.6% | 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 2026 | 26.2% | 21% | 11.9% | 11% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 4% | 3.7% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 2.4% | 0.96% | 0.82% | 0.53% |
| Sep 2026 | 26.5% | 21% | 13.8% | 9.1% | 5.8% | 4.8% | 4.1% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 3% | 2.4% | 0.98% | 0.89% | 0.54% |
How has the McDonald's and Taco Bell comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- McDonald's was ahead of Taco Bell in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McDonald's’ share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand moved from 21.6% to 21%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 257K to 183K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Taco Bell’s share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand moved from 3.6% to 5.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 43K to 51K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand fast food chains in September 2026?
2 changes
Estimated monthly branded searches for Taco Bell in New Zealand rose 18.6% over 12 measured months, from 43K to 51K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for McDonald's in New Zealand fell 28.6% over 12 measured months, from 257K to 183K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
33 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using McDonald's’ and Taco Bell’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
19 branded search terms
- 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
Taco Bell
14 branded search terms
- taco bell
- taco bell botany
- taco bell delivery
- taco bell eastgate
- taco bell hamilton
- taco bell menu
- taco bell nachos
- taco bell quesadilla
- taco bell sauce
- taco bell tuesday
- tacobell
- tacobell delivery
- tacobell hours
- tacobell menu
Other head-to-heads among fast food chains
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.