--- title: "Sonny's BBQ: search popularity in the United States" description: "Sonny's BBQ is a chain of barbecue restaurants. 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/sonnys-bbq" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Sonny's BBQ: search popularity in the United States Sonny's BBQ is a chain of barbecue restaurants. 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**: Sonny's BBQ - **Market**: United States - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among BBQ chains**: 13.5% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | BBQ chains | 3 | 13.5% | 246K | - [BBQ chains in the US](/demand/us/categories/us-bbq-chains) ## Top BBQ chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Sonny's BBQ was mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Sonny's BBQ is the sixth 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mission BBQ | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | City Barbeque | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Dickey's Barbecue Pit | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Famous Dave's | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Sonny's BBQ | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Pappas Bar-B-Q | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about BBQ chains - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best BBQ chain in the US?": 1. Mission BBQ, 2. City Barbeque, 3. Famous Dave's, 4. Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q, 5. Dickey's Barbecue Pit, 6. Pappas Bar-B-Q - Asked ChatGPT "Which barbecue restaurant chain in the US has the best brisket?": 1. Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q, 2. Mission BBQ, 3. City Barbeque, 4. Dickey's Barbecue Pit - Asked ChatGPT "What are the most popular BBQ chains in the US?": 1. Dickey's Barbecue Pit, 2. Famous Dave's, 3. Mission BBQ, 4. Sonny's BBQ, 5. City Barbeque, 6. Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q, 7. Pappas Bar-B-Q - Searched Google, AI Overview "bbq near me": 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 Sonny's BBQ changed in the United States over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Sonny's BBQ in the United States held steady at 246K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sonny's BBQ’s share of searches among BBQ chains in the United States peaked at 15.8% in April 2026 and was lowest at 11.6% in November 2025. ## How did search popularity change for United States BBQ chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, Mission BBQ gained share of searches among BBQ chains in the United States, from 35.2% to 36.9%. - In September 2026, City Barbeque gained share of searches among BBQ chains in the United States, from 31.5% to 33%. - In September 2026, Sonny's BBQ lost share of searches among BBQ chains in the United States, from 15.8% to 13.5%. - In September 2026, Dickey's Barbecue Pit lost share of searches among BBQ chains in the United States, from 9.5% to 8.1%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q in the United States rose 22.3% over 12 measured months, from 74K to 90.5K in September 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | BBQ chains | 246K | 13.9% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | BBQ chains | 246K | 11.6% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | BBQ chains | 301K | 15.3% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | BBQ chains | 246K | 14.3% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | BBQ chains | 246K | 14.3% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | BBQ chains | 301K | 14.2% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | BBQ chains | 301K | 15.8% | 3 | | May 2026 | BBQ chains | 301K | 13.5% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | BBQ chains | 301K | 14.4% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | BBQ chains | 301K | 14.5% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | BBQ chains | 301K | 15.8% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | BBQ chains | 246K | 13.5% | 3 | ## How are Sonny's BBQ’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Sonny's BBQ’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. - “sonnys bbq” ## Which BBQ chains compete with Sonny's BBQ? - [Mission BBQ](/demand/us/brands/mission-bbq): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/mission-bbq-vs-sonnys-bbq - [City Barbeque](/demand/us/brands/city-barbeque): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/city-barbeque-vs-sonnys-bbq - [Dickey's Barbecue Pit](/demand/us/brands/dickeys-barbecue-pit): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/dickeys-barbecue-pit-vs-sonnys-bbq - [Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q](/demand/us/brands/rudys-bbq): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/rudys-bbq-vs-sonnys-bbq - [Pappas Bar-B-Q](/demand/us/brands/pappas-bar-b-q): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/pappas-bar-b-q-vs-sonnys-bbq - [Famous Dave's](/demand/us/brands/famous-daves) ## 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. "Sonny's BBQ: search popularity in the United States". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/sonnys-bbq This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/sonnys-bbq. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.