Brandwave

BurgerFuel vs Wendy's:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Wendy's had more branded searches than BurgerFuel among fast food chains in New Zealand. Wendy's had about 35,500 branded searches, while BurgerFuel had 27,100. Wendy's made up 4.1% 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 Wendy's in two. BurgerFuel was mentioned before Wendy's in every answer.

Among fast food chains in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Wendy's, about 31% more searches than BurgerFuel

Wendy's 35.5K searchesBurgerFuel 27.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

BurgerFuel, mentioned in every answer we collected

BurgerFuel in 3 of 3Wendy's in 2 of 3

Who does AI recommend more?

BurgerFuel, named ahead of Wendy's in every answer

BurgerFuel first in 3Wendy's 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. Wendy's was mentioned in two out of three: in two of the three ChatGPT answers. BurgerFuel was listed before Wendy'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 Wendy's more popular in search?

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

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

3 findings
  • Wendy'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, Wendy's’ share of searches among fast food chains in New Zealand moved from 3.6% to 4.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 42.6K to 35.5K.

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 Wendy's in New Zealand fell 16.7% over 12 measured months, from 42.6K to 35.5K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

18 search terms

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

Wendy's

16 branded search terms

  • wendy s
  • wendy's menu
  • wendys
  • wendys burger
  • wendys company
  • wendys delivery
  • wendys desert
  • wendys dominion road
  • wendys frosty
  • wendys hours
  • wendys menu
  • wendys promo
  • wendys restaurant
  • wendys royal oak
  • wendys te atatu
  • wendys toy

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among fast food chains

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