Seafood chains in the United States:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, Red Lobster was the most searched seafood chain in the United States, accounting for 49.4% of all searches among the seven chains we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Red Lobster was mentioned most often, in three of the five answers. Captain D's was recommended most often, coming first in one out of three responses that gave a list.
Red LobsterShare of searches 49.4%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
Long John Silver'sShare of searches 27%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
Bonefish GrillShare of searches 14.8%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
Pappadeaux Seafood KitchenShare of searches 8.1%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
Legal Sea FoodsShare of searches 0.49%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
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Top seafood chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Red Lobster was mentioned most often, in three of the five answers. Captain D's was recommended most often, coming first in one out of three answers that gave a list. Red Lobster was second, and Bonefish Grill was third.
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.
- Red Lobster3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Long John Silver's2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Bonefish Grill2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Legal Sea Foods2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Joe's Crab Shack2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Captain D's2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about seafood chains
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best seafood restaurant chain in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which seafood chain in the US has the best value?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the most popular seafood chains in the US?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“seafood restaurants”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“fish and chips”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 23, 2026.
Which seafood chains do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each seafood chain by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven seafood chains we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Red Lobster, Long John Silver's, Bonefish Grill, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Red Lobster | Long John Silver's | Bonefish Grill | Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen | Legal Sea Foods | Joe's Crab Shack | Captain D's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 53% | 19.5% | 19.5% | 7.1% | 0.78% | 0.07% | 0.03% |
| Nov 2025 | 55% | 20.2% | 16.5% | 7.4% | 0.81% | 0.05% | 0.03% |
| Dec 2025 | 54.1% | 16.3% | 19.9% | 8.9% | 0.8% | 0.07% | 0.03% |
| Jan 2026 | 52.2% | 19.2% | 19.2% | 8.6% | 0.63% | 0.07% | 0.03% |
| Feb 2026 | 54.2% | 19.9% | 16.3% | 8.9% | 0.54% | 0.09% | 0.02% |
| Mar 2026 | 54.1% | 19.9% | 16.2% | 8.9% | 0.8% | 0.09% | 0.03% |
| Apr 2026 | 55.1% | 20.2% | 16.5% | 7.4% | 0.67% | 0.09% | 0.03% |
| May 2026 | 61.1% | 15% | 15% | 8.2% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.03% |
| Jun 2026 | 59.1% | 17.7% | 14.5% | 7.9% | 0.59% | 0.14% | 0.04% |
| Jul 2026 | 51.8% | 23.3% | 15.6% | 8.5% | 0.63% | 0.15% | 0.05% |
| Aug 2026 | 54.1% | 19.9% | 16.3% | 8.9% | 0.66% | 0.13% | 0.06% |
| Sep 2026 | 49.4% | 27% | 14.8% | 8.1% | 0.49% | 0.1% | 0.05% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 49.4% | 1.8M | 0% | -4.7 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 27% | 1M | +48.6% | +7.1 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 14.8% | 550K | 0% | -1.4 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 8.1% | 301K | 0% | -0.8 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 0.49% | 18.1K | -18.5% | -0.2 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 0.1% | 3.6K | -18.2% | 0 points | |
| 7, held 7th | 0.05% | 1.9K | 0% | 0 points |
49.4%
Held 1st. 1.8M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -4.7 points.
27%
Held 2nd. 1M estimated branded searches, +48.6% vs prior month. Share +7.1 points.
14.8%
Held 3rd. 550K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.
Held 4th. 301K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.
0.49%
Held 5th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
0.1%
Held 6th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
0.05%
Held 7th. 1.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among seafood chains in the United States?
7 brands
In September 2026, Red Lobster was the most searched among seafood chains in the United States, with an estimated 1.8M branded searches, 49.4% of all searches for the seven we track. Long John Silver's is in 2nd place, 22.4 percentage points behind at 27%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Lobster | 53% → 49.4% | 61.1%May 2026 | 49.4%Sep 2026 | 1st |
| Long John Silver's | 19.5% → 27% | 27%Sep 2026 | 15%May 2026 | 3rd → 2nd |
| Bonefish Grill | 19.5% → 14.8% | 19.9%Dec 2025 | 14.5%Jun 2026 | 2nd → 3rd |
| Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen | 7.1% → 8.1% | 8.9%Feb 2026 | 7.1%Oct 2025 | 4th |
| Legal Sea Foods | 0.78% → 0.49% | 0.81%Nov 2025 | 0.49%Sep 2026 | 5th |
| Joe's Crab Shack | 0.07% → 0.1% | 0.15%Jul 2026 | 0.05%Nov 2025 | 6th |
| Captain D's | 0.03% → 0.05% | 0.06%Aug 2026 | 0.02%Feb 2026 | 7th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Red Lobster’s share of searches among seafood chains in the United States decreased from 53% to 49.4%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Long John Silver's’ share of searches among seafood chains in the United States increased from 19.5% to 27%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bonefish Grill’s share of searches among seafood chains in the United States decreased from 19.5% to 14.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen’s share of searches among seafood chains in the United States increased from 7.1% to 8.1%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Red Lobster’s share of searches among seafood chains in the United States peaked at 61.1% in May 2026 and was lowest at 49.4% in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Long John Silver's’ share of searches among seafood chains in the United States peaked at 27% in September 2026 and was lowest at 15% in May 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bonefish Grill’s share of searches among seafood chains in the United States peaked at 19.9% in December 2025 and was lowest at 14.5% in June 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen’s share of searches among seafood chains in the United States peaked at 8.9% in February 2026 and was lowest at 7.1% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Long John Silver's rose from 3rd to 2nd among seafood chains in the United States.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bonefish Grill fell from 2nd to 3rd among seafood chains in the United States.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Legal Sea Foods, Joe's Crab Shack and Captain D's held steady: their share of searches among seafood chains in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for United States seafood chains in September 2026?
7 changes
In September 2026, Long John Silver's gained share of searches among seafood chains in the United States, from 19.9% to 27%.
In September 2026, Red Lobster lost share of searches among seafood chains in the United States, from 54.1% to 49.4%.
In September 2026, Bonefish Grill lost share of searches among seafood chains in the United States, from 16.3% to 14.8%.
In September 2026, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen lost share of searches among seafood chains in the United States, from 8.9% to 8.1%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Captain D's in the United States rose 90% over 12 measured months, from 1K to 1.9K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Joe's Crab Shack in the United States rose 50% over 12 measured months, from 2.4K to 3.6K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Legal Sea Foods in the United States fell 33.2% over 12 measured months, from 27.1K to 18.1K in September 2026.
Compare popularity between leading brands
- Red Lobster vs Long John Silver's: compare popularity
- Red Lobster vs Bonefish Grill: compare popularity
- Red Lobster vs Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen: compare popularity
- Long John Silver's vs Bonefish Grill: compare popularity
- Long John Silver's vs Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen: compare popularity
- Bonefish Grill vs Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen: compare popularity
- Compare any of these brands
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