--- title: "Applebee's: search popularity in the United States" description: "Applebee's is a casual dining restaurant chain. 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/us/brands/applebees" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Applebee's: search popularity in the United States Applebee's is a casual dining restaurant chain. 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**: Applebee's - **Market**: United States - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among casual dining chains**: 11.8% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Casual dining chains | 5 | 11.8% | 4.5M | - [Casual dining chains in the US](/demand/us/categories/us-casual-dining-chains) ## Top casual dining chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions, Applebee's did not appear in any of the three answers. 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 | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Cheesecake Factory | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Texas Roadhouse | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Olive Garden | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Chili's | 4th | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | LongHorn Steakhouse | 5th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Cracker Barrel | 6th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Buffalo Wild Wings | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | Applebee's | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | Red Lobster | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | TGI Fridays | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | ## Every AI answer about casual dining chains - Asked ChatGPT "Which casual dining chain is the best in the US?": 1. Texas Roadhouse, 2. The Cheesecake Factory, 3. Olive Garden, 4. Chili's, 5. LongHorn Steakhouse - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best sit-down restaurant chains in the US?": 1. The Cheesecake Factory, 2. Texas Roadhouse, 3. Olive Garden, 4. LongHorn Steakhouse, 5. Chili's, 6. Cracker Barrel - Asked ChatGPT "Which restaurant chain in the US is best for a family dinner?": 1. The Cheesecake Factory, 2. Olive Garden, 3. Texas Roadhouse, 4. Cracker Barrel, 5. Chili's Not named in any answer: Buffalo Wild Wings, Applebee's, Red Lobster and TGI Fridays. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 22, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Applebee's changed in the United States over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Applebee's in the United States fell from 5.5M to 4.5M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Applebee's’ share of searches among casual dining chains in the United States decreased from 12.3% to 11.8%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Applebee's’ share of searches among casual dining chains in the United States peaked at 14.3% in May 2026 and was lowest at 11.2% in November 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Applebee's fell from 4th to 5th among casual dining chains in the United States. ## How did search popularity change for United States casual dining chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, Buffalo Wild Wings overtook Applebee's to rank 3rd among casual dining chains in the United States, with 13.1% of the searches. - In September 2026, Olive Garden overtook Applebee's to rank 4th among casual dining chains in the United States, with 13.1% of the searches. - In September 2026, Chili's gained share of searches among casual dining chains in the United States, from 16.6% to 17.6%. - In September 2026, Texas Roadhouse lost share of searches among casual dining chains in the United States, from 22.6% to 19.6%. - In September 2026, Applebee's lost share of searches among casual dining chains in the United States, from 13.5% to 11.8%. - In September 2026, LongHorn Steakhouse lost share of searches among casual dining chains in the United States, from 8.3% to 7.2%. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Casual dining chains | 5.5M | 12.3% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | Casual dining chains | 5.5M | 11.2% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | Casual dining chains | 5.5M | 11.7% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Casual dining chains | 5.5M | 11.8% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Casual dining chains | 5.5M | 11.8% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Casual dining chains | 5.5M | 11.9% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Casual dining chains | 5.5M | 13.6% | 3 | | May 2026 | Casual dining chains | 6.7M | 14.3% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Casual dining chains | 5.5M | 13.6% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Casual dining chains | 5.5M | 13.5% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Casual dining chains | 5.5M | 13.5% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Casual dining chains | 4.5M | 11.8% | 5 | ## How are Applebee's’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Applebee'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. - “applebee's” - “applebees” ## Which casual dining chains compete with Applebee's? - [Texas Roadhouse](/demand/us/brands/texas-roadhouse) - [Chili's](/demand/us/brands/chilis): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/applebees-vs-chilis - [Buffalo Wild Wings](/demand/us/brands/buffalo-wild-wings): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/applebees-vs-buffalo-wild-wings - [Olive Garden](/demand/us/brands/olive-garden): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/applebees-vs-olive-garden - [LongHorn Steakhouse](/demand/us/brands/longhorn-steakhouse): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/applebees-vs-longhorn-steakhouse - [The Cheesecake Factory](/demand/us/brands/cheesecake-factory): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/applebees-vs-cheesecake-factory - [Cracker Barrel](/demand/us/brands/cracker-barrel) - [Red Lobster](/demand/us/brands/red-lobster) - [TGI Fridays](/demand/us/brands/tgi-fridays) ## 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. "Applebee's: search popularity in the United States". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/applebees This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/applebees. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.