Coffee chains in the United States:Which are most popular?

Name: Coffee chains in the United States: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, Starbucks was the most searched coffee chain in the United States, accounting for 48.1% of all searches among the six chains we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Starbucks, Dunkin', Dutch Bros and Peet's Coffee showed up in every answer. Starbucks was recommended most often, coming first in two out of three responses.

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Top coffee chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions, Starbucks, Dunkin', Dutch Bros and Peet's Coffee appeared every time. Starbucks was recommended most often, coming first in two out of three answers. Dunkin' was second, and Peet's Coffee was third. Tim Hortons, which ranked fourth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

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

Mentioned by AI

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

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Answers that named it
Starbucks	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	3 of 3
Dunkin'	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	3 of 3
Dutch Bros	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	3 of 3
Peet's Coffee	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	3 of 3
Caribou Coffee	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	1 of 3
Tim Hortons	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	0 of 3

Starbucks3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Dunkin'3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Dutch Bros3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Peet's Coffee3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Caribou Coffee1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
Tim Hortons0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers

See every answer about coffee chains

3 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Which coffee chain is best in the US?”
1. 1Starbucks
2. 2Dunkin'
3. 3Peet's Coffee
4. 4Dutch Bros
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best coffee chains in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best US coffee chain for iced coffee?”
1. 1Dunkin'
2. 2Starbucks
3. 3Dutch Bros
4. 4Peet's Coffee
Searched Google, AI Overview
“coffee shops”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“coffee shop”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

Not named in any answer:

Tim Hortons

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

Which coffee chains do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each coffee chain by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six coffee chains we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Share of searches among coffee chains in the United States, by month

Month	Starbucks	Dunkin'	Dutch Bros	Tim Hortons	Caribou Coffee	Peet's Coffee
Oct 2025	64.4%	26.4%	4.7%	2.1%	1.2%	1.2%
Nov 2025	62.9%	25.8%	6.9%	2.1%	1.1%	1.1%
Dec 2025	63.7%	26.2%	5.7%	2.1%	1.2%	1.2%
Jan 2026	57.7%	28.9%	7.8%	2.8%	1.3%	1.6%
Feb 2026	49.1%	36.9%	8.1%	3%	1.3%	1.6%
Mar 2026	45.6%	38.8%	9.2%	3.4%	1.5%	1.5%
Apr 2026	42.6%	41.5%	8.6%	3.8%	1.7%	1.7%
May 2026	39.7%	44.7%	8%	3.6%	2%	2%
Jun 2026	39.9%	44.9%	8%	3.6%	2%	1.6%
Jul 2026	39.9%	44.9%	8%	3.6%	2%	1.6%
Aug 2026	43.3%	42.1%	7.1%	3.9%	1.8%	1.8%
Sep 2026	48.1%	38.3%	6.5%	3.5%	1.9%	1.6%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Starbucks	48.1%	13.6M	0%	+4.8 points
2, held 2nd	Dunkin'	38.3%	10.8M	-18.1%	-3.8 points
3, held 3rd	Dutch Bros	6.5%	1.8M	-18.3%	-0.7 points
4, held 4th	Tim Hortons	3.5%	1M	-18%	-0.3 points
5, held 5th	Caribou Coffee	1.9%	550K	0%	+0.2 points
6, held 6th	Peet's Coffee	1.6%	450K	-18.2%	-0.2 points

1.Starbucks
48.1%
Held 1st. 13.6M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +4.8 points.
2.Dunkin'
38.3%
Held 2nd. 10.8M estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -3.8 points.
3.Dutch Bros
6.5%
Held 3rd. 1.8M estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.
4.Tim Hortons
3.5%
Held 4th. 1M estimated branded searches, -18% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
5.Caribou Coffee
1.9%
Held 5th. 550K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
6.Peet's Coffee
1.6%
Held 6th. 450K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among coffee chains in the United States?

6 brands

In September 2026, Starbucks was the most searched among coffee chains in the United States, with an estimated 13.6M branded searches, 48.1% of all searches for the six we track. Dunkin' is in 2nd place, 9.8 percentage points behind at 38.3%.

United States coffee chains, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Starbucks	64.4% → 48.1%	64.4%Oct 2025	39.7%May 2026	1st
Dunkin'	26.4% → 38.3%	44.9%Jun 2026	25.8%Nov 2025	2nd
Dutch Bros	4.7% → 6.5%	9.2%Mar 2026	4.7%Oct 2025	3rd
Tim Hortons	2.1% → 3.5%	3.9%Aug 2026	2.1%Nov 2025	4th
Caribou Coffee	1.2% → 1.9%	2%Jun 2026	1.1%Nov 2025	5th
Peet's Coffee	1.2% → 1.6%	2%May 2026	1.1%Nov 2025	6th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Starbucks’ share of searches among coffee chains in the United States decreased from 64.4% to 48.1%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Dunkin'’s share of searches among coffee chains in the United States increased from 26.4% to 38.3%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Dutch Bros’ share of searches among coffee chains in the United States increased from 4.7% to 6.5%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tim Hortons’ share of searches among coffee chains in the United States increased from 2.1% to 3.5%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Caribou Coffee’s share of searches among coffee chains in the United States increased from 1.2% to 1.9%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Starbucks’ share of searches among coffee chains in the United States peaked at 64.4% in October 2025 and was lowest at 39.7% in May 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Dunkin'’s share of searches among coffee chains in the United States peaked at 44.9% in June 2026 and was lowest at 25.8% in November 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Dutch Bros’ share of searches among coffee chains in the United States peaked at 9.2% in March 2026 and was lowest at 4.7% in October 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tim Hortons’ share of searches among coffee chains in the United States peaked at 3.9% in August 2026 and was lowest at 2.1% in November 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Peet's Coffee held steady: its share of searches among coffee chains in the United States moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for United States coffee chains in September 2026?

4 changes

In September 2026, Starbucks gained share of searches among coffee chains in the United States, from 43.3% to 48.1%.
In September 2026, Dunkin' lost share of searches among coffee chains in the United States, from 42.1% to 38.3%.
In September 2026, Dutch Bros lost share of searches among coffee chains in the United States, from 7.1% to 6.5%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Peet's Coffee in the United States fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 550K to 450K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for coffee chains?

7 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among coffee chains comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.