Brandwave

BurgerFuel vs McDonald's:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, McDonald's had more branded searches than BurgerFuel among fast food chains in New Zealand. McDonald's had about 183,000 branded searches, while BurgerFuel had 27,100. McDonald's made up 21% 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, both BurgerFuel and McDonald's appeared in all three answers. BurgerFuel was mentioned before McDonald's in every answer.

Among fast food chains in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

McDonald's, about 7 searches for every 1 for BurgerFuel

McDonald's 183K searchesBurgerFuel 27.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

BurgerFuel in 3 of 3McDonald's in 3 of 3

Who does AI recommend more?

BurgerFuel, named ahead of McDonald's in every answer

BurgerFuel first in 3McDonald's never first

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Top fast food chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, both BurgerFuel and McDonald's showed up in all three answers. BurgerFuel was listed before McDonald's 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 McDonald's more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for BurgerFuel and McDonald's 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 McDonald's among fast food chains in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for McDonald's, 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 McDonald's comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • McDonald's was ahead of BurgerFuel in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 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, 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.

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 McDonald's in New Zealand fell 28.6% over 12 measured months, from 257K to 183K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

21 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BurgerFuel’s and McDonald'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

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

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among fast food chains

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