Brandwave

How popular isShake Shack?

In September 2026, people searched for Shake Shack by name about 90,500 times in the United Kingdom, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 0.86% of all United Kingdom burger chain searches, placing Shake Shack fourth out of seven chains. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about burger chains, Shake Shack appeared in all answers and was the third most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Shake Shack is the fourth most searched of 7 competitors and the third 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, Shake Shack appeared in all three answers. Shake Shack is the third 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 Shake Shack?

Shake Shack against burger chains in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for McDonald's, Burger King, Shake Shack. 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 Shake Shack and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Shake Shack

6 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Shake Shack changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Shake Shack in the United Kingdom held steady at 90.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shake Shack rose from 5th to 4th among burger chains in the United Kingdom.

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 Shake Shack’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

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

  • shake shack

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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