--- title: "Salt & Straw: search popularity in the United States" description: "Salt & Straw is a chain of 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/salt-and-straw" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Salt & Straw: search popularity in the United States Salt & Straw is a chain of 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**: Salt & Straw - **Market**: United States - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among ice cream chains**: 2.8% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Ice cream chains | 4 | 2.8% | 201K | - [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, Salt & Straw was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Salt & Straw is the second 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 Salt & Straw changed in the United States over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Salt & Straw in the United States fell from 301K to 201K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Salt & Straw’s share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States decreased from 4.3% to 2.8%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Salt & Straw’s share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States peaked at 4.3% in October 2025 and was lowest at 2.4% in May 2026. ## 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 | 301K | 4.3% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | Ice cream chains | 246K | 4% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | Ice cream chains | 246K | 4.2% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Ice cream chains | 246K | 3.7% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Ice cream chains | 201K | 3% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | Ice cream chains | 301K | 3.1% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | Ice cream chains | 246K | 2.8% | 4 | | May 2026 | Ice cream chains | 246K | 2.4% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Ice cream chains | 301K | 3.3% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Ice cream chains | 246K | 2.7% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | Ice cream chains | 246K | 2.7% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | Ice cream chains | 201K | 2.8% | 4 | ## How are Salt & Straw’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Salt & Straw’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. - “salt and straw” ## Which ice cream chains compete with Salt & Straw? - [Dairy Queen](/demand/us/brands/dairy-queen): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/dairy-queen-vs-salt-and-straw - [Cold Stone Creamery](/demand/us/brands/cold-stone-creamery): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/cold-stone-creamery-vs-salt-and-straw - [Baskin-Robbins](/demand/us/brands/baskin-robbins): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/baskin-robbins-vs-salt-and-straw - [Culver's](/demand/us/brands/culvers): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/culvers-vs-salt-and-straw - [Handel's](/demand/us/brands/handels): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/handels-vs-salt-and-straw - [Marble Slab Creamery](/demand/us/brands/marble-slab-creamery) - [Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams](/demand/us/brands/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. "Salt & Straw: search popularity in the United States". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/salt-and-straw This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/salt-and-straw. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.