--- title: "Applebee's vs Buffalo Wild Wings: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is Applebee's or Buffalo Wild Wings more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Casual dining chains set in the United States. 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/compare/applebees-vs-buffalo-wild-wings" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Applebee's vs Buffalo Wild Wings: Which is searched more in the United States? Is Applebee's or Buffalo Wild Wings more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Casual dining chains set in the United States. 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 - **Compared**: Applebee's and Buffalo Wild Wings - **Competitive set**: Casual dining chains - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Applebee's Share of Search**: 11.8% - **Buffalo Wild Wings Share of Search**: 13.1% ## Is Applebee's or Buffalo Wild Wings more popular in search? - In September 2026, Buffalo Wild Wings had more branded searches than Applebee's among casual dining chains in the United States. Buffalo Wild Wings had about 5 million branded searches, while Applebee's had 4.5 million. Buffalo Wild Wings made up 13.1% of all casual dining chain searches we track, and Applebee's accounted for 11.8%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Applebee's took it in February 2026, Buffalo Wild Wings took it in September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Applebee's’ share of searches among casual dining chains in the United States moved from 12.3% to 11.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5.5M to 4.5M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Buffalo Wild Wings’ share of searches among casual dining chains in the United States moved from 13.8% to 13.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.1M to 5M. ## Top casual dining chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions, neither Applebee's nor Buffalo Wild Wings showed up in any of the three answers. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Cheesecake Factory | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Texas Roadhouse | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Olive Garden | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Chili's | 4th | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | LongHorn Steakhouse | 5th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Cracker Barrel | 6th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Buffalo Wild Wings | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | Applebee's | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | Red Lobster | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | TGI Fridays | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | ## Every AI answer about casual dining chains - Asked ChatGPT "Which casual dining chain is the best in the US?": 1. Texas Roadhouse, 2. The Cheesecake Factory, 3. Olive Garden, 4. Chili's, 5. LongHorn Steakhouse - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best sit-down restaurant chains in the US?": 1. The Cheesecake Factory, 2. Texas Roadhouse, 3. Olive Garden, 4. LongHorn Steakhouse, 5. Chili's, 6. Cracker Barrel - Asked ChatGPT "Which restaurant chain in the US is best for a family dinner?": 1. The Cheesecake Factory, 2. Olive Garden, 3. Texas Roadhouse, 4. Cracker Barrel, 5. Chili's Not named in any answer: Buffalo Wild Wings, Applebee's, Red Lobster and TGI Fridays. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 22, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States casual dining chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, Buffalo Wild Wings overtook Applebee's to rank 3rd among casual dining chains in the United States, with 13.1% of the searches. - In September 2026, Olive Garden overtook Applebee's to rank 4th among casual dining chains in the United States, with 13.1% of the searches. - In September 2026, Applebee's lost share of searches among casual dining chains in the United States, from 13.5% to 11.8%. ## Month by month | Month | Applebee's estimated searches | Applebee's Share of Search | Applebee's rank | Buffalo Wild Wings estimated searches | Buffalo Wild Wings Share of Search | Buffalo Wild Wings rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 5.5M | 12.3% | 4 | 6.1M | 13.8% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 5.5M | 11.2% | 4 | 6.1M | 12.6% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 5.5M | 11.7% | 4 | 6.1M | 13% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 5.5M | 11.8% | 4 | 6.1M | 13.1% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 5.5M | 11.8% | 3 | 5M | 10.7% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 5.5M | 11.9% | 3 | 5M | 10.9% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 5.5M | 13.6% | 3 | 5M | 12.4% | 4 | | May 2026 | 6.7M | 14.3% | 3 | 5M | 10.7% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 5.5M | 13.6% | 3 | 5M | 12.4% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | 5.5M | 13.5% | 3 | 5M | 12.4% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 5.5M | 13.5% | 3 | 5M | 12.4% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | 4.5M | 11.8% | 5 | 5M | 13.1% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Applebee's’ and Buffalo Wild Wings’ 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. - **Applebee's**: Measured on the search terms “applebee's” and “applebees”, summed into one figure. - **Buffalo Wild Wings**: Measured on the search term “buffalo wild wings”. - [Applebee's profile](/demand/us/brands/applebees) - [Buffalo Wild Wings profile](/demand/us/brands/buffalo-wild-wings) - [All casual dining chains in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-casual-dining-chains): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 brands. ## 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 ### Is Applebee's or Buffalo Wild Wings more popular in search? In September 2026, Buffalo Wild Wings had more branded searches than Applebee's among casual dining chains in the United States. Buffalo Wild Wings had about 5 million branded searches, while Applebee's had 4.5 million. Buffalo Wild Wings made up 13.1% of all casual dining chain searches we track, and Applebee's accounted for 11.8%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Applebee's vs Buffalo Wild Wings: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/applebees-vs-buffalo-wild-wings This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/applebees-vs-buffalo-wild-wings. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.