--- title: "Handel's: search popularity in the United States" description: "Handel's is a chain of homemade ice cream shops. 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/handels" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Handel's: search popularity in the United States Handel's is a chain of homemade ice cream shops. 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**: Handel's - **Market**: United States - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among ice cream chains**: 2.4% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ice cream chains | 6 | 2.4% | 169K | - [Ice cream chains in the US](/demand/us/categories/us-ice-cream-chains) ## Top ice cream chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Handel's was mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Handel's is the third most recommended of the eight. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams | 1st | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Salt & Straw | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Handel's | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Cold Stone Creamery | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Dairy Queen | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Baskin-Robbins | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Culver's | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Marble Slab Creamery | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about ice cream chains - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best ice cream chain in the US?": 1. Salt & Straw, 2. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, 3. Handel's, 4. Cold Stone Creamery, 5. Culver's - Asked ChatGPT "Which ice cream shop chain in the US has the best ice cream?": 1. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, 2. Salt & Straw, 3. Handel's, 4. Cold Stone Creamery - Asked ChatGPT "What are the most popular ice cream chains in the US?": 1. Dairy Queen, 2. Baskin-Robbins, 3. Cold Stone Creamery, 4. Culver's, 5. Handel's - Searched Google, AI Overview "soft serve": named none of the brands we track Not named in any answer: Marble Slab Creamery. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 23, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Handel's changed in the United States over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Handel's in the United States rose from 142K to 169K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Handel's’ share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States held steady, from 2% to 2.4%. ## How did search popularity change for United States ice cream chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, Dairy Queen gained share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States, from 45.6% to 46.9%. - In September 2026, Baskin-Robbins gained share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States, from 20.4% to 21%. - In September 2026, Cold Stone Creamery lost share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States, from 25.9% to 23.4%. - In September 2026, Culver's rose from 6th to 5th among ice cream chains in the United States. - In September 2026, Handel's fell from 5th to 6th among ice cream chains in the United States. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Salt & Straw in the United States fell 33.2% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 201K in September 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Ice cream chains | 142K | 2% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | Ice cream chains | 140K | 2.3% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | Ice cream chains | 140K | 2.4% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | Ice cream chains | 142K | 2.1% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | Ice cream chains | 142K | 2.1% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | Ice cream chains | 211K | 2.2% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | Ice cream chains | 211K | 2.4% | 5 | | May 2026 | Ice cream chains | 213K | 2.1% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | Ice cream chains | 211K | 2.3% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | Ice cream chains | 258K | 2.8% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Ice cream chains | 211K | 2.4% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Ice cream chains | 169K | 2.4% | 6 | ## How are Handel's’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Handel'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. - “handels” - “handels ice cream” ## Which ice cream chains compete with Handel's? - [Dairy Queen](/demand/us/brands/dairy-queen) - [Cold Stone Creamery](/demand/us/brands/cold-stone-creamery) - [Baskin-Robbins](/demand/us/brands/baskin-robbins): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/baskin-robbins-vs-handels - [Salt & Straw](/demand/us/brands/salt-and-straw): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/handels-vs-salt-and-straw - [Culver's](/demand/us/brands/culvers): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/culvers-vs-handels - [Marble Slab Creamery](/demand/us/brands/marble-slab-creamery): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/handels-vs-marble-slab-creamery - [Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams](/demand/us/brands/jenis): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/handels-vs-jenis ## 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. "Handel's: search popularity in the United States". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/handels This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/handels. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.