Captain D's vs Long John Silver's:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Long John Silver's had more branded searches than Captain D's among seafood chains in the United States. Long John Silver's had about 1 million branded searches, while Captain D's had 1,900. Long John Silver's made up 27% of all seafood chain searches we track, and Captain D's accounted for 0.05%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about seafood chains, Captain D's and Long John Silver's each appeared in two of the five answers. Captain D's was mentioned before Long John Silver's in every answer that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Long John Silver's, about 526 searches for every 1 for Captain D's
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 2 of 5 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Captain D's, named ahead of Long John Silver's in 2 of 2 answers
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Top seafood chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Captain D's and Long John Silver's were each mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Captain D's was listed before Long John Silver's in every answer that named either.
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.
Is Captain D's or Long John Silver's more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Captain D's and Long John Silver's 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 Long John Silver's, Captain D's. 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% |
How has the Captain D's and Long John Silver's comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Long John Silver's was ahead of Captain D's in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Captain D's’ share of searches among seafood chains in the United States moved from 0.03% to 0.05%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1K to 1.9K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Long John Silver's’ share of searches among seafood chains in the United States moved from 19.5% to 27%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 673K to 1M.
How did search popularity change for United States seafood chains in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Long John Silver's gained share of searches among seafood chains in the United States, from 19.9% to 27%.
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.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Captain D's’ and Long John Silver'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.
Captain D's
1 branded search term
- captain ds
Long John Silver's
1 branded search term
- long john silvers
Other head-to-heads among seafood chains
- 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
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