--- title: "wagamama: search popularity in the United Kingdom" description: "wagamama is a restaurant chain serving Japanese-inspired noodles, curries and rice dishes. 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/uk/brands/wagamama" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # wagamama: search popularity in the United Kingdom wagamama is a restaurant chain serving Japanese-inspired noodles, curries and rice dishes. 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 - **Brand**: wagamama - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among restaurant chains**: 8.3% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Restaurant chains | 5 | 8.3% | 301K | | Asian restaurant chains | 1 | 65% | 301K | - [Restaurant chains in the UK](/demand/uk/categories/uk-restaurant-chains) - [Asian restaurant chains in the UK](/demand/uk/categories/uk-asian-restaurant-chains) ## Top restaurant chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, wagamama was mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. wagamama is the most recommended of the 12. 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 | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | wagamama | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Nando's | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | PizzaExpress | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Five Guys | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Frankie & Benny's | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Bella Italia | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Toby Carvery | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Harvester | 8th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Miller & Carter | 9th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Wetherspoons | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Prezzo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Zizzi | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about restaurant chains - Asked ChatGPT "Which restaurant chain is the best in the UK?": 1. Nando's, 2. wagamama, 3. Five Guys, 4. PizzaExpress - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best chain restaurants in the UK?": 1. Nando's, 2. wagamama, 3. Five Guys, 4. PizzaExpress, 5. Toby Carvery, 6. Frankie & Benny's, 7. Harvester, 8. Bella Italia, 9. Miller & Carter - Asked ChatGPT "Which UK restaurant chain is best for a family meal?": 1. PizzaExpress, 2. Bella Italia, 3. Frankie & Benny's, 4. wagamama, 5. Toby Carvery - Searched Google, AI Overview "chain restaurants": 1. Nando's Not named in any answer: Wetherspoons, Prezzo and Zizzi. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for wagamama changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for wagamama in the United Kingdom fell from 450K to 301K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, wagamama’s share of searches among restaurant chains in the United Kingdom decreased from 10% to 8.3%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, wagamama’s share of searches among restaurant chains in the United Kingdom peaked at 10% in October 2025 and was lowest at 6.7% in July 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, wagamama’s share of searches among Asian restaurant chains in the United Kingdom decreased from 68% to 65%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, wagamama’s share of searches among Asian restaurant chains in the United Kingdom peaked at 68.3% in April 2026 and was lowest at 63.2% in March 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom restaurant chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, Miller & Carter overtook Five Guys to rank 6th among restaurant chains in the United Kingdom, with 6.8% of the searches. - In September 2026, wagamama gained share of searches among restaurant chains in the United Kingdom, from 7% to 8.3%. - In September 2026, Wetherspoons lost share of searches among restaurant chains in the United Kingdom, from 19.2% to 18.6%. - In September 2026, PizzaExpress lost share of searches among restaurant chains in the United Kingdom, from 23.3% to 22.8%. - In September 2026, Zizzi lost share of searches among restaurant chains in the United Kingdom, from 2.6% to 2%. - In September 2026, Prezzo rose from 10th to 9th among restaurant chains in the United Kingdom. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom Asian restaurant chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, YO! Sushi gained share of searches among Asian restaurant chains in the United Kingdom, from 13.4% to 16%. - In September 2026, wagamama lost share of searches among Asian restaurant chains in the United Kingdom, from 66.8% to 65%. - itsu’s share of searches among Asian restaurant chains in the United Kingdom has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 19.8% to 16% in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Tampopo in the United Kingdom fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 8.1K in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Wasabi in the United Kingdom fell 14% over 12 measured months, from 4.3K to 3.7K in September 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Restaurant chains | 450K | 10% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | Restaurant chains | 368K | 8.6% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | Restaurant chains | 368K | 8.1% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | Restaurant chains | 368K | 7.9% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | Restaurant chains | 368K | 8.6% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | Restaurant chains | 301K | 7.4% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | Restaurant chains | 301K | 8.1% | 5 | | May 2026 | Restaurant chains | 246K | 6.7% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | Restaurant chains | 246K | 7.2% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | Restaurant chains | 246K | 6.7% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | Restaurant chains | 301K | 7% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Restaurant chains | 301K | 8.3% | 5 | | Oct 2025 | Asian restaurant chains | 450K | 68% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Asian restaurant chains | 368K | 64.4% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Asian restaurant chains | 368K | 66.4% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Asian restaurant chains | 368K | 63.6% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Asian restaurant chains | 368K | 66% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Asian restaurant chains | 301K | 63.2% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Asian restaurant chains | 301K | 68.3% | 1 | | May 2026 | Asian restaurant chains | 246K | 64.1% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Asian restaurant chains | 246K | 65.7% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Asian restaurant chains | 246K | 64.2% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Asian restaurant chains | 301K | 66.8% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Asian restaurant chains | 301K | 65% | 1 | ## How are wagamama’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using wagamama’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. - “wagamama” ## Which restaurant chains compete with wagamama? - [PizzaExpress](/demand/uk/brands/pizza-express) - [Wetherspoons](/demand/uk/brands/wetherspoons): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/wagamama-vs-wetherspoons - [Nando's](/demand/uk/brands/nandos): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/nandos-vs-wagamama - [Toby Carvery](/demand/uk/brands/toby-carvery): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/toby-carvery-vs-wagamama - [Miller & Carter](/demand/uk/brands/miller-and-carter): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/miller-and-carter-vs-wagamama - [Five Guys](/demand/uk/brands/five-guys): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/five-guys-vs-wagamama - [Frankie & Benny's](/demand/uk/brands/frankie-and-bennys) - [Prezzo](/demand/uk/brands/prezzo) - [Bella Italia](/demand/uk/brands/bella-italia) - [Zizzi](/demand/uk/brands/zizzi) - [Harvester](/demand/uk/brands/harvester) ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "wagamama: search popularity in the United Kingdom". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/wagamama This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/wagamama. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.