Brandwave

Byron vs McDonald's:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, McDonald's had more branded searches than Byron among burger chains in the United Kingdom. McDonald's had about 9.1 million branded searches, while Byron had 8,100. McDonald's made up 86.8% of all burger chain searches we track, and Byron accounted for 0.08%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about burger chains, McDonald's appeared in two of the three answers and Byron in none.

Among burger chains in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

McDonald's, about 1128 searches for every 1 for Byron

McDonald's 9.1M searchesByron 8.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

McDonald's, mentioned in 2 of 3 answers, Byron in 0

McDonald's in 2 of 3Byron in 0 of 3

Who does AI recommend more?

McDonald's, the only one of the two named

McDonald's first in 2Byron never named

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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. Byron did not appear in any of the three answers.

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.

Is Byron or McDonald's more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Byron and McDonald's by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven burger chains we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

Byron and McDonald's among burger chains in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for McDonald's, Byron. 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%

How has the Byron and McDonald's comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • McDonald's was ahead of Byron in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Byron’s share of searches among burger chains in the United Kingdom moved from 0.14% to 0.08%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 8.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, McDonald's’ share of searches among burger chains in the United Kingdom moved from 85.4% to 86.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 9.1M.

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

1 change

  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.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Byron’s and McDonald'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.

Byron

2 branded search terms

  • byron burger
  • byron burgers

McDonald's

2 branded search terms

  • mcdonald's
  • mcdonalds

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among burger chains

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