--- title: "Panda Express: search popularity in the United States" description: "Panda Express is a fast food chain serving American Chinese food. 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/panda-express" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Panda Express: search popularity in the United States Panda Express is a fast food chain serving American Chinese food. 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**: Panda Express - **Market**: United States - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among asian fast casual chains**: 74.8% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Asian fast casual chains | 1 | 74.8% | 7.5M | - [Asian fast casual chains in the US](/demand/us/categories/us-asian-fast-casual-chains) ## Top asian fast casual chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Panda Express was mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Panda Express is the most recommended of the seven. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Panda Express | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Sarku Japan | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Teriyaki Madness | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | P.F. Chang's | 4th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Bonchon | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Pei Wei | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Noodles & Company | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about asian fast casual chains - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best Chinese fast food chain in the US?": 1. Panda Express, 2. Pei Wei, 3. Sarku Japan - Asked ChatGPT "Which Asian fast casual chain in the US is best?": 1. Panda Express, 2. Teriyaki Madness, 3. Bonchon, 4. Sarku Japan - Asked ChatGPT "What are the most popular Asian restaurant chains in the US?": 1. Panda Express, 2. P.F. Chang's, 3. Sarku Japan, 4. Noodles & Company, 5. Bonchon, 6. Teriyaki Madness - Searched Google, AI Overview "chinese food": named none of the brands we track 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 Panda Express changed in the United States over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Panda Express in the United States held steady at 7.5M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Panda Express’ share of searches among asian fast casual chains in the United States increased from 74% to 74.8%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Panda Express’ share of searches among asian fast casual chains in the United States peaked at 77.8% in August 2026 and was lowest at 72.4% in March 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States asian fast casual chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, Noodles & Company gained share of searches among asian fast casual chains in the United States, from 8.5% to 10%. - In September 2026, P.F. Chang's gained share of searches among asian fast casual chains in the United States, from 4.7% to 5.5%. - In September 2026, Teriyaki Madness gained share of searches among asian fast casual chains in the United States, from 3.8% to 4.5%. - In September 2026, Panda Express lost share of searches among asian fast casual chains in the United States, from 77.8% to 74.8%. - In September 2026, Pei Wei rose from 7th to 6th among asian fast casual chains in the United States. - In September 2026, Sarku Japan fell from 6th to 7th among asian fast casual chains in the United States. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 74% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 73.5% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 72.6% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 74% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 73.9% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 72.4% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 73.7% | 1 | | May 2026 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 72.8% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 74.6% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 73.5% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Asian fast casual chains | 9.1M | 77.8% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Asian fast casual chains | 7.5M | 74.8% | 1 | ## How are Panda Express’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Panda Express’ 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. - “panda express” ## Which asian fast casual chains compete with Panda Express? - [Noodles & Company](/demand/us/brands/noodles-and-company): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/noodles-and-company-vs-panda-express - [P.F. Chang's](/demand/us/brands/pf-changs): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/panda-express-vs-pf-changs - [Teriyaki Madness](/demand/us/brands/teriyaki-madness): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/panda-express-vs-teriyaki-madness - [Bonchon](/demand/us/brands/bonchon): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/bonchon-vs-panda-express - [Pei Wei](/demand/us/brands/pei-wei): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/panda-express-vs-pei-wei - [Sarku Japan](/demand/us/brands/sarku-japan) ## 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. "Panda Express: search popularity in the United States". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/panda-express This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/panda-express. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.