Brandwave

How popular isTaco Bell?

In September 2026, people searched for Taco Bell by name about 13.6 million times in the United States, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 52.2% of all United States mexican fast food chain searches, placing Taco Bell first out of nine chains. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about mexican fast food chains, Taco Bell appeared in all answers and was the third most recommended of the nine.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Taco Bell is the most searched of 9 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Taco BellShare of searches 52.2%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  2. Chipotle Mexican GrillShare of searches 28.7%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. QDOBAShare of searches 5.8%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. El Pollo LocoShare of searches 3.8%Mentioned in 0 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. Del TacoShare of searches 3.2%Mentioned in 3 of 3 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

+4 more

Taco Bell website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Taco Bell and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Top mexican fast food chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, Taco Bell appeared in all three answers. Taco Bell is the third most recommended of the nine.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Chipotle Mexican Grill1st
  2. Del Taco2nd
  3. Taco Bell3rd
  4. QDOBA4th
  5. Freebirds World Burrito5th
  6. Torchy's Tacos6th
  7. Moe's Southwest Grill7th
  8. Taco John's8th
  9. El Pollo Loco–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

See every answer about mexican fast food chains

3 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.

Which mexican fast food chains compete with Taco Bell?

Taco Bell against mexican fast food chains in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Taco Bell, Chipotle Mexican Grill, QDOBA, El Pollo Loco, Del Taco, Moe's Southwest Grill, Torchy's Tacos. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthTaco BellChipotle Mexican GrillQDOBAEl Pollo LocoDel TacoMoe's Southwest GrillTorchy's TacosTaco John'sFreebirds World Burrito
Oct 202550.9%28%6.9%3.7%3.7%2.1%2.5%1.4%0.75%
Nov 202551.7%28.4%7%3.1%3.8%1.7%2.1%1.4%0.76%
Dec 202548.9%32.9%5.4%3%3.6%2%2.4%1.1%0.72%
Jan 202648.5%32.6%6.5%2.9%3.6%1.6%2.4%1.1%0.72%
Feb 202647.5%32%6.4%3.5%3.5%1.9%2.9%1.3%0.86%
Mar 202648.1%32.3%6.5%3.5%3.5%1.9%2.4%1.1%0.71%
Apr 202651.1%28.1%6.9%3.8%3.8%2.1%2.5%1.1%0.75%
May 202650.9%28%6.9%3.7%3.7%2.1%2.5%1.4%0.75%
Jun 202651.3%28.2%6.9%3.8%3.1%2.1%2.5%1.4%0.76%
Jul 202654.4%24.5%6%4%4%2.2%2.7%1.5%0.8%
Aug 202650.9%28%6.9%3.7%3.7%2.1%2.5%1.4%0.75%
Sep 202652.2%28.7%5.8%3.8%3.2%2.1%2.1%1.4%0.63%

  1. 1.Taco Bell

    52.2%

    Held 1st. 13.6M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.

  2. 2.Chipotle Mexican Grill

    28.7%

    Held 2nd. 7.5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  3. 3.QDOBA

    5.8%

    Held 3rd. 1.5M estimated branded searches, -18% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.

  4. 4.El Pollo Loco

    3.8%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  5. 5.Del Taco

    3.2%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 823K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  6. 6.Moe's Southwest Grill

    2.1%

    Moved from 7th to 6th. 550K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  7. 7.Torchy's Tacos

    2.1%

    Moved from 6th to 7th. 550K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  8. 8.Taco John's

    1.4%

    Held 8th. 368K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Freebirds World Burrito

    0.63%

    Held 9th. 165K estimated branded searches, -17.9% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Taco Bell and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Taco Bell

8 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Taco Bell changed in the United States over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Taco Bell in the United States held steady at 13.6M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Taco Bell’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States increased from 50.9% to 52.2%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Taco Bell’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States peaked at 54.4% in July 2026 and was lowest at 47.5% in February 2026.

How did search popularity change for United States mexican fast food chains in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Taco Bell gained share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 50.9% to 52.2%.

  2. In September 2026, Chipotle Mexican Grill gained share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 28% to 28.7%.

  3. In September 2026, QDOBA lost share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 6.9% to 5.8%.

  4. In September 2026, Del Taco lost share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 3.7% to 3.2%.

  5. In September 2026, El Pollo Loco rose from 5th to 4th among mexican fast food chains in the United States.

  6. In September 2026, Moe's Southwest Grill rose from 7th to 6th among mexican fast food chains in the United States.

How are Taco Bell’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Taco Bell’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.

  • taco bell

Do you work for Taco Bell? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Taco Bell your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

Start free