---
title: "Mexican fast food chains in the United States: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the taco and burrito chains people in the US eat at. Share of Search among Taco Bell, Chipotle Mexican Grill, QDOBA, El Pollo Loco, Del Taco, Moe's Southwest Grill, Torchy's Tacos, Taco John's and Freebirds World Burrito, the mexican fast food chains Brandwave compares in the United States, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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/categories/us-mexican-fast-food-chains"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Mexican fast food chains in the United States: Which are searched most?

Compare the taco and burrito chains people in the US eat at. Share of Search among Taco Bell, Chipotle Mexican Grill, QDOBA, El Pollo Loco, Del Taco, Moe's Southwest Grill, Torchy's Tacos, Taco John's and Freebirds World Burrito, the mexican fast food chains Brandwave compares in the United States, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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

- **Competitive set**: Mexican fast food chains
- **Market**: United States
- **Brands compared**: 9
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Taco Bell, 52.2%

## Which brand is most popular in search among mexican fast food chains in the United States?

- In September 2026, Taco Bell was the most searched among mexican fast food chains in the United States, with an estimated 13.6M branded searches, 52.2% of all searches for the nine we track.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill is in 2nd place, 23.5 percentage points behind at 28.7%.
- 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, Chipotle Mexican Grill’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States increased from 28% to 28.7%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, QDOBA’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States decreased from 6.9% to 5.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Del Taco’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States decreased from 3.7% to 3.2%.
- 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.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Chipotle Mexican Grill’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States peaked at 32.9% in December 2025 and was lowest at 24.5% in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, QDOBA’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States peaked at 7% in November 2025 and was lowest at 5.4% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, El Pollo Loco’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States peaked at 4% in July 2026 and was lowest at 2.9% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, El Pollo Loco rose from 5th to 4th among mexican fast food chains in the United States.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Del Taco fell from 4th to 5th among mexican fast food chains in the United States.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Moe's Southwest Grill rose from 7th to 6th among mexican fast food chains in the United States.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Torchy's Tacos fell from 6th to 7th among mexican fast food chains in the United States.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Taco John's and Freebirds World Burrito held steady: their share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Top mexican fast food chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions, Taco Bell, Chipotle Mexican Grill, QDOBA and Del Taco appeared every time. Chipotle Mexican Grill was recommended most often, coming first in two out of three answers. Del Taco was second, and Taco Bell was third. El Pollo Loco, which ranked fourth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

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 | All answers that named it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Del Taco | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Taco Bell | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| QDOBA | 4th | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Freebirds World Burrito | 5th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 |
| Torchy's Tacos | 6th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 |
| Moe's Southwest Grill | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 |
| Taco John's | 8th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 |
| El Pollo Loco | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 |

## Every AI answer about mexican fast food chains

- Asked ChatGPT "Which Mexican fast food chain is the best in the US?": 1. Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2. Taco Bell, 3. Del Taco, 4. QDOBA, 5. Torchy's Tacos
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the best burrito and taco chains in the US?": 1. Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2. Taco Bell, 3. QDOBA, 4. Del Taco, 5. Torchy's Tacos, 6. Moe's Southwest Grill, 7. Freebirds World Burrito, 8. Taco John's
- Asked ChatGPT "Where can I get the best fast food burrito in the US?": 1. Del Taco, 2. Chipotle Mexican Grill, 3. Freebirds World Burrito, 4. QDOBA, 5. Taco Bell

Not named in any answer: El Pollo Loco.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 22, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Taco Bell vs Chipotle Mexican Grill: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/chipotle-vs-taco-bell): 52.2% against 28.7% Share of Search.
- [Taco Bell vs QDOBA: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/qdoba-vs-taco-bell): 52.2% against 5.8% Share of Search.
- [Taco Bell vs El Pollo Loco: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/el-pollo-loco-vs-taco-bell): 52.2% against 3.8% Share of Search.
- [Taco Bell vs Del Taco: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/del-taco-vs-taco-bell): 52.2% against 3.2% Share of Search.
- [Chipotle Mexican Grill vs QDOBA: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/chipotle-vs-qdoba): 28.7% against 5.8% Share of Search.
- [Chipotle Mexican Grill vs El Pollo Loco: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/chipotle-vs-el-pollo-loco): 28.7% against 3.8% Share of Search.
- [Chipotle Mexican Grill vs Del Taco: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/chipotle-vs-del-taco): 28.7% against 3.2% Share of Search.
- [QDOBA vs El Pollo Loco: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/el-pollo-loco-vs-qdoba): 5.8% against 3.8% Share of Search.
- [QDOBA vs Del Taco: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/del-taco-vs-qdoba): 5.8% against 3.2% Share of Search.
- [El Pollo Loco vs Del Taco: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/del-taco-vs-el-pollo-loco): 3.8% against 3.2% Share of Search.

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

- In September 2026, Taco Bell gained share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 50.9% to 52.2%.
- In September 2026, Chipotle Mexican Grill gained share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 28% to 28.7%.
- In September 2026, QDOBA lost share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 6.9% to 5.8%.
- In September 2026, Del Taco lost share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 3.7% to 3.2%.
- In September 2026, El Pollo Loco rose from 5th to 4th among mexican fast food chains in the United States.
- In September 2026, Moe's Southwest Grill rose from 7th to 6th among mexican fast food chains in the United States.
- In September 2026, Torchy's Tacos fell from 6th to 7th among mexican fast food chains in the United States.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Freebirds World Burrito in the United States fell 17.9% over 12 measured months, from 201K to 165K in September 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Taco Bell | 52.2% | 13.6M | 0.0% | Taco Bell |
| 2 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 28.7% | 7.5M | 0.0% | Chipotle Mexican Grill |
| 3 | QDOBA | 5.8% | 1.5M | -18.0% | QDOBA |
| 4 | El Pollo Loco | 3.8% | 1M | 0.0% | El Pollo Loco |
| 5 | Del Taco | 3.2% | 823K | -17.7% | Del Taco |
| 6 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 2.1% | 550K | 0.0% | Moe's Southwest Grill |
| 7 | Torchy's Tacos | 2.1% | 550K | -18.3% | Torchy's Tacos |
| 8 | Taco John's | 1.4% | 368K | 0.0% | Taco John's |
| 9 | Freebirds World Burrito | 0.63% | 165K | -17.9% | Freebirds World Burrito |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 50.9% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 7.5M | 28% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | QDOBA | 1.8M | 6.9% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Del Taco | 1M | 3.7% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | El Pollo Loco | 1M | 3.7% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Torchy's Tacos | 673K | 2.5% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 550K | 2.1% | 7 |
| Oct 2025 | Taco John's | 368K | 1.4% | 8 |
| Oct 2025 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.75% | 9 |
| Nov 2025 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 51.7% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 7.5M | 28.4% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | QDOBA | 1.8M | 7% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Del Taco | 1M | 3.8% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | El Pollo Loco | 823K | 3.1% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Torchy's Tacos | 550K | 2.1% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 450K | 1.7% | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | Taco John's | 368K | 1.4% | 8 |
| Nov 2025 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.76% | 9 |
| Dec 2025 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 48.9% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 9.1M | 32.9% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | QDOBA | 1.5M | 5.4% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Del Taco | 1M | 3.6% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | El Pollo Loco | 823K | 3% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Torchy's Tacos | 673K | 2.4% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 550K | 2% | 7 |
| Dec 2025 | Taco John's | 301K | 1.1% | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.72% | 9 |
| Jan 2026 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 48.5% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 9.1M | 32.6% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | QDOBA | 1.8M | 6.5% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Del Taco | 1M | 3.6% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | El Pollo Loco | 823K | 2.9% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Torchy's Tacos | 673K | 2.4% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 450K | 1.6% | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | Taco John's | 301K | 1.1% | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.72% | 9 |
| Feb 2026 | Taco Bell | 11.1M | 47.5% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 7.5M | 32% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | QDOBA | 1.5M | 6.4% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Del Taco | 823K | 3.5% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | El Pollo Loco | 823K | 3.5% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Torchy's Tacos | 673K | 2.9% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 450K | 1.9% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | Taco John's | 301K | 1.3% | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.86% | 9 |
| Mar 2026 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 48.1% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 9.1M | 32.3% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | QDOBA | 1.8M | 6.5% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Del Taco | 1M | 3.5% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | El Pollo Loco | 1M | 3.5% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Torchy's Tacos | 673K | 2.4% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 550K | 1.9% | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | Taco John's | 301K | 1.1% | 8 |
| Mar 2026 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.71% | 9 |
| Apr 2026 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 51.1% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 7.5M | 28.1% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | QDOBA | 1.8M | 6.9% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Del Taco | 1M | 3.8% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | El Pollo Loco | 1M | 3.8% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Torchy's Tacos | 673K | 2.5% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 550K | 2.1% | 7 |
| Apr 2026 | Taco John's | 301K | 1.1% | 8 |
| Apr 2026 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.75% | 9 |
| May 2026 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 50.9% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 7.5M | 28% | 2 |
| May 2026 | QDOBA | 1.8M | 6.9% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Del Taco | 1M | 3.7% | 4 |
| May 2026 | El Pollo Loco | 1M | 3.7% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Torchy's Tacos | 673K | 2.5% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 550K | 2.1% | 7 |
| May 2026 | Taco John's | 368K | 1.4% | 8 |
| May 2026 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.75% | 9 |
| Jun 2026 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 51.3% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 7.5M | 28.2% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | QDOBA | 1.8M | 6.9% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | El Pollo Loco | 1M | 3.8% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Del Taco | 823K | 3.1% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Torchy's Tacos | 673K | 2.5% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 550K | 2.1% | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | Taco John's | 368K | 1.4% | 8 |
| Jun 2026 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.76% | 9 |
| Jul 2026 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 54.4% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 6.1M | 24.5% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | QDOBA | 1.5M | 6% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Del Taco | 1M | 4% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | El Pollo Loco | 1M | 4% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Torchy's Tacos | 673K | 2.7% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 550K | 2.2% | 7 |
| Jul 2026 | Taco John's | 368K | 1.5% | 8 |
| Jul 2026 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.8% | 9 |
| Aug 2026 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 50.9% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 7.5M | 28% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | QDOBA | 1.8M | 6.9% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Del Taco | 1M | 3.7% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | El Pollo Loco | 1M | 3.7% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Torchy's Tacos | 673K | 2.5% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 550K | 2.1% | 7 |
| Aug 2026 | Taco John's | 368K | 1.4% | 8 |
| Aug 2026 | Freebirds World Burrito | 201K | 0.75% | 9 |
| Sep 2026 | Taco Bell | 13.6M | 52.2% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 7.5M | 28.7% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | QDOBA | 1.5M | 5.8% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | El Pollo Loco | 1M | 3.8% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | Del Taco | 823K | 3.2% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | Moe's Southwest Grill | 550K | 2.1% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | Torchy's Tacos | 550K | 2.1% | 7 |
| Sep 2026 | Taco John's | 368K | 1.4% | 8 |
| Sep 2026 | Freebirds World Burrito | 165K | 0.63% | 9 |

## What is being compared

- **Chipotle Mexican Grill**: Measured on the search term “chipotle”.
- **Del Taco**: Measured on the search term “del taco”.
- **El Pollo Loco**: Measured on the search term “el pollo loco”.
- **Freebirds World Burrito**: Measured on the search term “freebirds”.
- **Moe's Southwest Grill**: Measured on the search term “moe's southwest grill”.
- **QDOBA**: Measured on the search term “qdoba”.
- **Taco Bell**: Measured on the search term “taco bell”.
- **Taco John's**: Measured on the search terms “taco john's” and “taco johns”, summed into one figure.
- **Torchy's Tacos**: Measured on the search term “torchy's tacos”.

- [Chipotle Mexican Grill](/demand/us/brands/chipotle)
- [Del Taco](/demand/us/brands/del-taco)
- [El Pollo Loco](/demand/us/brands/el-pollo-loco)
- [Freebirds World Burrito](/demand/us/brands/freebirds)
- [Moe's Southwest Grill](/demand/us/brands/moes-southwest-grill)
- [QDOBA](/demand/us/brands/qdoba)
- [Taco Bell](/demand/us/brands/taco-bell)
- [Taco John's](/demand/us/brands/taco-johns)
- [Torchy's Tacos](/demand/us/brands/torchys-tacos)

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among mexican fast food chains in the United States?

In September 2026, Taco Bell was the most searched among mexican fast food chains in the United States, with an estimated 13.6M branded searches, 52.2% of all searches for the nine we track.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Mexican fast food chains in the United States: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/categories/us-mexican-fast-food-chains

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/categories/us-mexican-fast-food-chains. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.