Brandwave

How popular isMcDonald's?

In September 2026, people searched for McDonald's by name about 9.1 million times in the United Kingdom, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 86.8% of all United Kingdom burger chain searches, placing McDonald's first out of seven chains. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about burger chains, McDonald's appeared in two of the three answers and was the fifth most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

McDonald's is the most searched of 7 competitors and the fifth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. McDonald'sShare of searches 86.8%Mentioned in 2 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  2. Burger KingShare of searches 9.5%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  3. Five GuysShare of searches 1.9%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  4. Shake ShackShare of searches 0.86%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  5. Honest BurgersShare of searches 0.57%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

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Top burger chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, McDonald's was mentioned in two out of three: in two of the three ChatGPT answers. McDonald's is the fifth most recommended of the seven.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Five Guys1st
  2. Honest Burgers2nd
  3. Shake Shack3rd
  4. Burger King4th
  5. McDonald's5th
  6. GBK–
  7. Byron–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Burger King3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Five Guys3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Shake Shack3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Honest Burgers3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • McDonald's2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • GBK0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Byron0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers

See every answer about burger chains

3 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026.

Which burger chains compete with McDonald's?

McDonald's against burger chains in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for McDonald's, Burger King. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMcDonald'sBurger KingFive GuysShake ShackHonest BurgersGBKByron
Oct 202585.4%9.3%2.8%0.85%1%0.46%0.14%
Nov 202584.2%9.3%3.4%1.2%1.2%0.46%0.17%
Dec 202584.6%9.3%3.4%1.2%1%0.37%0.14%
Jan 202682.8%11.1%3.3%1.2%1%0.45%0.16%
Feb 202684.7%9.3%3.4%1%1%0.37%0.14%
Mar 202685.5%9.4%2.8%1%0.85%0.31%0.11%
Apr 202686.6%9.5%1.9%0.86%0.7%0.31%0.09%
May 202684.5%11.3%2.3%0.84%0.68%0.31%0.07%
Jun 202687%9.5%1.9%0.7%0.58%0.26%0.06%
Jul 202686.4%9.5%2.3%0.86%0.57%0.31%0.08%
Aug 202686.8%9.5%1.9%0.86%0.58%0.26%0.09%
Sep 202686.8%9.5%1.9%0.86%0.57%0.26%0.08%

  1. 1.McDonald's

    86.8%

    Held 1st. 9.1M estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  2. 2.Burger King

    9.5%

    Held 2nd. 1M estimated branded searches, -18% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  3. 3.Five Guys

    1.9%

    Held 3rd. 201K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  4. 4.Shake Shack

    0.86%

    Held 4th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Honest Burgers

    0.57%

    Held 5th. 60.5K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.GBK

    0.26%

    Held 6th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Byron

    0.08%

    Held 7th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, -33.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between McDonald's and its closest rivals

Every comparison with McDonald's

6 comparisons

How has branded search demand for McDonald's changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for McDonald's in the United Kingdom held steady at 9.1M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McDonald's’ share of searches among burger chains in the United Kingdom increased from 85.4% to 86.8%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McDonald's’ share of searches among burger chains in the United Kingdom peaked at 87% in June 2026 and was lowest at 82.8% in January 2026.

How did search popularity change for United Kingdom burger chains in September 2026?

4 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Byron in the United Kingdom fell 45.3% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 8.1K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for GBK in the United Kingdom fell 45.3% over 12 measured months, from 49.5K to 27.1K in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Honest Burgers in the United Kingdom fell 45% over 12 measured months, from 110K to 60.5K in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Five Guys in the United Kingdom fell 33.2% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 201K in September 2026.

How are McDonald's’ branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using McDonald's’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • mcdonald's
  • mcdonalds

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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