Brandwave

How popular iswagamama?

In September 2026, people searched for wagamama by name about 301,000 times in the United Kingdom, a 33.1% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 65% of all United Kingdom Asian restaurant chain searches, placing wagamama first out of six chains. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about Asian restaurant chains, wagamama appeared in two of the three answers and was the second most recommended of the six.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

wagamama is the most searched of 6 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. wagamamaShare of searches 65%Mentioned in 2 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. itsuShare of searches 16%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. YO! SushiShare of searches 16%Mentioned in 2 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. TampopoShare of searches 1.7%Mentioned in 0 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. WasabiShare of searches 0.8%Mentioned in 1 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

+1 more

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Top Asian restaurant chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, wagamama was mentioned in two out of three: in two of the three ChatGPT answers. wagamama is the second most recommended of the six.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. itsu1st
  2. wagamama2nd
  3. YO! Sushi3rd
  4. Wasabi4th
  5. Tampopo–
  6. Banana Tree–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • itsu3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • wagamama2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • YO! Sushi2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Wasabi1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Tampopo0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Banana Tree0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers

See every answer about Asian restaurant chains

3 answers

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's the best Asian restaurant chain in the UK?”

    1. 1wagamama
    2. 2itsu

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “Which UK chain has the best sushi?”

    1. 1itsu
    2. 2YO! Sushi

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What are the most popular noodle and sushi chains in the UK?”

    1. 1wagamama
    2. 2itsu
    3. 3YO! Sushi
    4. 4Wasabi

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “sushi”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “asian restaurant”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 23, 2026.

Which Asian restaurant chains compete with wagamama?

wagamama against Asian restaurant chains in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for wagamama, itsu, YO! Sushi. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthwagamamaitsuYO! SushiTampopoWasabiBanana Tree
Oct 202568%20.4%9.1%1.5%0.65%0.36%
Nov 202564.4%23.6%8.7%2.1%0.61%0.51%
Dec 202566.4%19.8%10.9%1.8%0.63%0.43%
Jan 202663.6%19%12.8%2.6%1.6%0.5%
Feb 202666%19.7%10.9%2.2%0.77%0.43%
Mar 202663.2%23.1%10.4%2.1%0.9%0.4%
Apr 202668.3%16.8%11.2%2.2%0.98%0.43%
May 202664.1%19.3%12.9%2.1%0.96%0.63%
Jun 202665.7%19.8%10.8%2.2%0.99%0.51%
Jul 202664.2%19.3%12.9%2.1%0.89%0.63%
Aug 202666.8%16.4%13.4%1.8%0.93%0.64%
Sep 202665%16%16%1.7%0.8%0.52%

  1. 1.wagamama

    65%

    Held 1st. 301K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.8 points.

  2. 2.itsu

    16%

    Held 2nd. 74K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  3. 3.YO! Sushi

    16%

    Held 3rd. 74K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +2.6 points.

  4. 4.Tampopo

    1.7%

    Held 4th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Wasabi

    0.8%

    Held 5th. 3.7K estimated branded searches, -11.9% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  6. 6.Banana Tree

    0.52%

    Held 6th. 2.4K estimated branded searches, -17.2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between wagamama and its closest rivals

Every comparison with wagamama

16 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • 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 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 Asian restaurant chains in September 2026?

5 changes

  1. In September 2026, YO! Sushi gained share of searches among Asian restaurant chains in the United Kingdom, from 13.4% to 16%.

  2. In September 2026, wagamama lost share of searches among Asian restaurant chains in the United Kingdom, from 66.8% to 65%.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

How are wagamama’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

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

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How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does wagamama compete?

wagamama is ranked in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Restaurant chains5th of 128.3%Show ranking
Asian restaurant chains1st of 665%Shown above
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is wagamama your brand?

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