Brandwave

BurgerFuel vs Carl's Jr.:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Carl's Jr. had more branded searches than BurgerFuel among fast food chains in New Zealand. Carl's Jr. had about 33,200 branded searches, while BurgerFuel had 27,100. Carl's Jr. made up 3.8% of all fast food chain searches we track, and BurgerFuel accounted for 3.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about fast food chains, BurgerFuel appeared in all three answers and Carl's Jr. in one. BurgerFuel was mentioned before Carl's Jr. in every answer.

Among fast food chains in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Carl's Jr., about 23% more searches than BurgerFuel

Carl's Jr. 33.2K searchesBurgerFuel 27.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

BurgerFuel, mentioned in every answer we collected

BurgerFuel in 3 of 3Carl's Jr. in 1 of 3

Who does AI recommend more?

BurgerFuel, named ahead of Carl's Jr. in every answer

BurgerFuel first in 3Carl's Jr. never first

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Top fast food chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, BurgerFuel appeared in all three answers. Carl's Jr. was mentioned in one out of three: in one of the three ChatGPT answers. BurgerFuel was listed before Carl's Jr. in every answer.

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.

Is BurgerFuel or Carl's Jr. more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for BurgerFuel and Carl's Jr. 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.

BurgerFuel and Carl's Jr. among fast food chains in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Carl's Jr., BurgerFuel. 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%

How has the BurgerFuel and Carl's Jr. comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands 4 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: BurgerFuel took it in November 2025, Carl's Jr. took it in February 2026, BurgerFuel took it in June 2026, Carl's Jr. took it in July 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BurgerFuel’s share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand moved from 2.8% to 3.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 33.1K to 27.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Carl's Jr.’s share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand moved from 4% to 3.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 47.2K to 33.2K.

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

2 changes

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

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Carl's Jr. in New Zealand fell 29.6% over 12 measured months, from 47.2K to 33.2K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

16 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BurgerFuel’s and Carl's Jr.’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.

BurgerFuel

2 branded search terms

  • burger fuel
  • burgerfuel

Carl's Jr.

14 branded search terms

  • carls jr
  • carls jr bush inn
  • carls jr delivery
  • carls jr hamburger
  • carls jr hamilton
  • carls jr henderson
  • carls jr hornby
  • carls jr hrs
  • carls jr me
  • carls jr queen street
  • carls jr restaurants llc
  • carls jr st johns
  • carlsjr
  • carlsjr delivery

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among fast food chains

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