Brandwave

Dairy Queen vs Salt & Straw:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Dairy Queen had more branded searches than Salt & Straw among ice cream chains in the United States. Dairy Queen had about 3.4 million branded searches, while Salt & Straw had 201,000. Dairy Queen made up 46.9% of all ice cream chain searches we track, and Salt & Straw accounted for 2.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about ice cream chains, Salt & Straw appeared in two of the four answers and Dairy Queen in one. Salt & Straw was mentioned before Dairy Queen in two out of three answers.

Among ice cream chains in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Dairy Queen, about 17 searches for every 1 for Salt & Straw

Dairy Queen 3.4M searchesSalt & Straw 201K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Salt & Straw, mentioned in 2 of 4 answers, Dairy Queen in 1

Salt & Straw in 2 of 4Dairy Queen in 1 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

Salt & Straw, named ahead of Dairy Queen in 2 of 3 answers

Salt & Straw first in 2Dairy Queen first in 1

Follow Dairy Queen vs Salt & Straw 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

Track your brand against a rival →

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. Dairy Queen was mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Salt & Straw was listed before Dairy Queen in two out of three answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams1st
  2. Salt & Straw2nd
  3. Handel's3rd
  4. Cold Stone Creamery4th
  5. Dairy Queen5th
  6. Baskin-Robbins6th
  7. Culver's7th
  8. Marble Slab Creamery–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Cold Stone Creamery3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Handel's3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Salt & Straw2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Culver's2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Dairy Queen1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Baskin-Robbins1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Marble Slab Creamery0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about ice cream chains

4 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 23, 2026.

Is Dairy Queen or Salt & Straw more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Dairy Queen and Salt & Straw by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight ice cream chains we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Dairy Queen and Salt & Straw among ice cream chains in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Dairy Queen, Salt & Straw. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthDairy QueenCold Stone CreameryBaskin-RobbinsSalt & StrawCulver'sHandel'sMarble Slab CreameryJeni's Splendid Ice Creams
Oct 202548.3%24.1%17.6%4.3%2.5%2%0.58%0.56%
Nov 202544.1%22.1%24.1%4%2.2%2.3%0.65%0.52%
Dec 202546.4%23.2%20.7%4.2%1.9%2.4%0.69%0.55%
Jan 202650%22.3%18.2%3.7%2.5%2.1%0.6%0.49%
Feb 202650.4%22.5%18.3%3%2.5%2.1%0.61%0.49%
Mar 202651.8%21.2%19%3.1%1.8%2.2%0.51%0.5%
Apr 202647%23.5%21%2.8%2%2.4%0.57%0.66%
May 202649.5%24.8%18.1%2.4%2.1%2.1%0.49%0.5%
Jun 202645.3%25.7%20.3%3.3%1.9%2.3%0.55%0.56%
Jul 202644.5%27.2%19.9%2.7%1.9%2.8%0.54%0.49%
Aug 202645.6%25.9%20.4%2.7%1.9%2.4%0.55%0.54%
Sep 202646.9%23.4%21%2.8%2.4%2.4%0.57%0.51%

How has the Dairy Queen and Salt & Straw comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Dairy Queen gained share of searches among ice cream chains in the United States, from 45.6% to 46.9%.

  2. 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.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Dairy Queen’s and Salt & Straw’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Dairy Queen

1 branded search term

  • dairy queen

Salt & Straw

1 branded search term

  • salt and straw

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among ice cream chains

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.

Start free