--- title: "Formosa Ashburton vs Ton's Thai: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Formosa Ashburton or Ton's Thai more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Ashburton restaurants set in New Zealand. 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." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/formosa-ashburton-vs-tons-thai" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Formosa Ashburton vs Ton's Thai: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Formosa Ashburton or Ton's Thai more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Ashburton restaurants set in New Zealand. 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. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Formosa Ashburton and Ton's Thai - **Competitive set**: Ashburton restaurants - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Formosa Ashburton Share of Search**: 23.3% - **Ton's Thai Share of Search**: 21.8% ## Is Formosa Ashburton or Ton's Thai more popular in search? - In September 2026, Formosa Ashburton had more branded searches than Ton's Thai among Ashburton restaurants in New Zealand. Formosa Ashburton had about 1,710 branded searches, while Ton's Thai had 1,600. Formosa Ashburton made up 23.3% of all Ashburton restaurant searches we track, and Ton's Thai accounted for 21.8%. - The lead changed hands 6 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Ton's Thai took it in November 2025, Formosa Ashburton took it in January 2026, Ton's Thai took it in February 2026, Formosa Ashburton took it in May 2026, Ton's Thai took it in June 2026, Formosa Ashburton took it in July 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Formosa Ashburton’s share of searches among Ashburton restaurants in New Zealand moved from 23.7% to 23.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.9K to 1.7K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ton's Thai’s share of searches among Ashburton restaurants in New Zealand moved from 23.1% to 21.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.9K to 1.6K. ## Top Ashburton restaurants in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions, Formosa Ashburton appeared in all three answers. Ton's Thai was mentioned in two out of three: in two of the three ChatGPT answers. Formosa Ashburton was listed before Ton's Thai in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Fine Lion | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Formosa Ashburton | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | The Rabbit | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Ton's Thai | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | The Ottoman | 5th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Cleavers Corner | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | | Somerset Grocer | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | ## Every AI answer about Ashburton restaurants - Asked ChatGPT "Which restaurant should I go to in Ashburton, New Zealand?": 1. The Fine Lion, 2. Formosa Ashburton, 3. The Rabbit, 4. The Ottoman - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best restaurants in Ashburton, New Zealand?": 1. Formosa Ashburton, 2. The Fine Lion, 3. The Rabbit, 4. Ton's Thai, 5. Cleavers Corner, 6. The Ottoman, 7. Somerset Grocer - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best restaurant in Ashburton, New Zealand for a meal out?": 1. The Fine Lion, 2. Formosa Ashburton, 3. The Rabbit, 4. Ton's Thai Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand Ashburton restaurants in September 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for Ton's Thai in New Zealand fell 15.8% over 12 measured months, from 1.9K to 1.6K in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Formosa Ashburton in New Zealand fell 12.3% over 12 measured months, from 1.9K to 1.7K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Formosa Ashburton estimated searches | Formosa Ashburton Share of Search | Formosa Ashburton rank | Ton's Thai estimated searches | Ton's Thai Share of Search | Ton's Thai rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.9K | 23.7% | 1 | 1.9K | 23.1% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 1.6K | 19.6% | 2 | 1.9K | 22.6% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 2K | 19.5% | 2 | 2.4K | 23.8% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 2K | 21.1% | 1 | 1.9K | 20.3% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 1.7K | 20.2% | 2 | 1.9K | 23% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 1.7K | 21.8% | 2 | 1.9K | 24.8% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 1.7K | 21.8% | 2 | 1.9K | 24.5% | 1 | | May 2026 | 2K | 24.5% | 1 | 1.9K | 23.6% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 1.7K | 23.1% | 2 | 1.9K | 26.3% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 1.7K | 23.7% | 1 | 1.6K | 22.2% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 1.7K | 23.8% | 1 | 1.6K | 22.3% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 1.7K | 23.3% | 1 | 1.6K | 21.8% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Formosa Ashburton’s and Ton's Thai’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. - **Formosa Ashburton**: Measured on the search terms “formosa ashburton” and “formosa ashburton menu”, summed into one figure. - **Ton's Thai**: Measured on the search term “tons thai”. - [Formosa Ashburton profile](/demand/nz/brands/formosa-ashburton) - [Ton's Thai profile](/demand/nz/brands/tons-thai) - [All Ashburton restaurants in New Zealand](/demand/nz/locations/ashburton/restaurants): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Formosa Ashburton or Ton's Thai more popular in search? In September 2026, Formosa Ashburton had more branded searches than Ton's Thai among Ashburton restaurants in New Zealand. Formosa Ashburton had about 1,710 branded searches, while Ton's Thai had 1,600. Formosa Ashburton made up 23.3% of all Ashburton restaurant searches we track, and Ton's Thai accounted for 21.8%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Formosa Ashburton vs Ton's Thai: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/formosa-ashburton-vs-tons-thai This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/formosa-ashburton-vs-tons-thai. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.