---
title: "Wing chains in the United States: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the chicken wing chains people in the US eat at. Share of Search among Wingstop, Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters, Pluckers Wing Bar, Bonchon and Wing Snob, the wing 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-wing-chains"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Wing chains in the United States: Which are searched most?

Compare the chicken wing chains people in the US eat at. Share of Search among Wingstop, Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters, Pluckers Wing Bar, Bonchon and Wing Snob, the wing 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**: Wing chains
- **Market**: United States
- **Brands compared**: 6
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Wingstop, 53.2%

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

- In September 2026, Wingstop was the most searched among wing chains in the United States, with an estimated 7.5M branded searches, 53.2% of all searches for the six we track.
- Buffalo Wild Wings is in 2nd place, 17.6 percentage points behind at 35.6%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wingstop’s share of searches among wing chains in the United States increased from 48.3% to 53.2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Buffalo Wild Wings’ share of searches among wing chains in the United States decreased from 39.5% to 35.6%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hooters’ share of searches among wing chains in the United States decreased from 6.5% to 4.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pluckers Wing Bar’s share of searches among wing chains in the United States increased from 2.9% to 3.9%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Wingstop’s share of searches among wing chains in the United States peaked at 53.2% in September 2026 and was lowest at 47.8% in November 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Buffalo Wild Wings’ share of searches among wing chains in the United States peaked at 39.8% in December 2025 and was lowest at 34.6% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hooters’ share of searches among wing chains in the United States peaked at 6.9% in March 2026 and was lowest at 4.8% in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bonchon and Wing Snob held steady: their share of searches among wing chains in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Top wing chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions, Wingstop and Buffalo Wild Wings appeared every time. Wingstop was recommended most often, coming first in every answer. Buffalo Wild Wings was second, and Pluckers Wing Bar was third. Wing Snob, which ranked sixth 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Wingstop | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Buffalo Wild Wings | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Pluckers Wing Bar | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 |
| Bonchon | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 |
| Hooters | 5th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 |
| Wing Snob | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 |

## Every AI answer about wing chains

- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best wing chain in the US?": 1. Wingstop, 2. Buffalo Wild Wings, 3. Bonchon, 4. Hooters, 5. Pluckers Wing Bar
- Asked ChatGPT "Which restaurant chain in the US has the best chicken wings?": 1. Wingstop, 2. Pluckers Wing Bar, 3. Buffalo Wild Wings, 4. Bonchon
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the most popular wing chains in the US?": 1. Wingstop, 2. Buffalo Wild Wings, 3. Hooters

Not named in any answer: Wing Snob.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 23, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Wingstop vs Buffalo Wild Wings: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/buffalo-wild-wings-vs-wingstop): 53.2% against 35.6% Share of Search.
- [Wingstop vs Hooters: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/hooters-vs-wingstop): 53.2% against 4.8% Share of Search.
- [Wingstop vs Pluckers Wing Bar: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/pluckers-vs-wingstop): 53.2% against 3.9% Share of Search.
- [Buffalo Wild Wings vs Hooters: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/buffalo-wild-wings-vs-hooters): 35.6% against 4.8% Share of Search.
- [Buffalo Wild Wings vs Pluckers Wing Bar: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/buffalo-wild-wings-vs-pluckers): 35.6% against 3.9% Share of Search.
- [Hooters vs Pluckers Wing Bar: compare search popularity](/demand/us/compare/hooters-vs-pluckers): 4.8% against 3.9% Share of Search.

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

- In September 2026, Pluckers Wing Bar gained share of searches among wing chains in the United States, from 3.2% to 3.9%.
- In September 2026, Hooters lost share of searches among wing chains in the United States, from 5.8% to 4.8%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Wing Snob in the United States fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 135K to 110K in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Buffalo Wild Wings in the United States fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 6.1M to 5M in September 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Bonchon in the United States fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 246K in September 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Wingstop | 53.2% | 7.5M | 0.0% | Wingstop |
| 2 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 35.6% | 5M | 0.0% | Buffalo Wild Wings |
| 3 | Hooters | 4.8% | 673K | -18.2% | Hooters |
| 4 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 3.9% | 550K | +22.2% | Pluckers Wing Bar |
| 5 | Bonchon | 1.7% | 246K | -18.3% | Bonchon |
| 6 | Wing Snob | 0.78% | 110K | 0.0% | Wing Snob |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 48.3% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 6.1M | 39.5% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Hooters | 1M | 6.5% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 450K | 2.9% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Bonchon | 301K | 1.9% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | Wing Snob | 135K | 0.87% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 47.8% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 6.1M | 39.1% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Hooters | 1M | 6.4% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 550K | 3.5% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Bonchon | 368K | 2.4% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Wing Snob | 135K | 0.86% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 48.6% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 6.1M | 39.8% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Hooters | 823K | 5.4% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 450K | 2.9% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Bonchon | 368K | 2.4% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Wing Snob | 135K | 0.88% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 48.5% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 6.1M | 39.7% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Hooters | 823K | 5.3% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 550K | 3.6% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Bonchon | 301K | 2% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Wing Snob | 135K | 0.88% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 52.6% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 5M | 35.2% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Hooters | 823K | 5.8% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 450K | 3.2% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Bonchon | 301K | 2.1% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Wing Snob | 165K | 1.2% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 51.7% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 5M | 34.6% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Hooters | 1M | 6.9% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 550K | 3.8% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Bonchon | 301K | 2.1% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Wing Snob | 135K | 0.93% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 52.7% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 5M | 35.2% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Hooters | 823K | 5.8% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 450K | 3.2% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Bonchon | 301K | 2.1% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Wing Snob | 135K | 0.95% | 6 |
| May 2026 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 52.4% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 5M | 35.1% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Hooters | 823K | 5.8% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 550K | 3.9% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Bonchon | 301K | 2.1% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Wing Snob | 110K | 0.77% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 52.6% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 5M | 35.2% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Hooters | 823K | 5.8% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 550K | 3.9% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Bonchon | 246K | 1.7% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Wing Snob | 110K | 0.77% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 52.4% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 5M | 35.1% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Hooters | 823K | 5.8% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 550K | 3.9% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Bonchon | 301K | 2.1% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Wing Snob | 110K | 0.77% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 52.8% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 5M | 35.3% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Hooters | 823K | 5.8% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 450K | 3.2% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Bonchon | 301K | 2.1% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Wing Snob | 110K | 0.78% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | Wingstop | 7.5M | 53.2% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 5M | 35.6% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Hooters | 673K | 4.8% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Pluckers Wing Bar | 550K | 3.9% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | Bonchon | 246K | 1.7% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | Wing Snob | 110K | 0.78% | 6 |

## What is being compared

- **Bonchon**: Measured on the search term “bonchon”.
- **Buffalo Wild Wings**: Measured on the search term “buffalo wild wings”.
- **Hooters**: Measured on the search term “hooters”.
- **Pluckers Wing Bar**: Measured on the search term “pluckers”.
- **Wing Snob**: Measured on the search term “wing snob”.
- **Wingstop**: Measured on the search term “wingstop”.

- [Bonchon](/demand/us/brands/bonchon)
- [Buffalo Wild Wings](/demand/us/brands/buffalo-wild-wings)
- [Hooters](/demand/us/brands/hooters)
- [Pluckers Wing Bar](/demand/us/brands/pluckers)
- [Wing Snob](/demand/us/brands/wing-snob)
- [Wingstop](/demand/us/brands/wingstop)

## 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 wing chains in the United States?

In September 2026, Wingstop was the most searched among wing chains in the United States, with an estimated 7.5M branded searches, 53.2% of all searches for the six we track.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Wing chains in the United States: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/categories/us-wing-chains

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