--- title: "Captain D's vs Red Lobster: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is Captain D's or Red Lobster more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Seafood 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/captain-ds-vs-red-lobster" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Captain D's vs Red Lobster: Which is searched more in the United States? Is Captain D's or Red Lobster more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Seafood 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**: Captain D's and Red Lobster - **Competitive set**: Seafood chains - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Captain D's Share of Search**: 0.05% - **Red Lobster Share of Search**: 49.4% ## Is Captain D's or Red Lobster more popular in search? - In September 2026, Red Lobster had more branded searches than Captain D's among seafood chains in the United States. Red Lobster had about 1.8 million branded searches, while Captain D's had 1,900. Red Lobster made up 49.4% of all seafood chain searches we track, and Captain D's accounted for 0.05%. - Red Lobster 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, Red Lobster’s share of searches among seafood chains in the United States moved from 53% to 49.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.8M. ## Top seafood chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Red Lobster was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Captain D's was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Red Lobster was listed before Captain D's in two out of 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 | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Captain D's | 1st | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Red Lobster | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Bonefish Grill | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Long John Silver's | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Legal Sea Foods | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Joe's Crab Shack | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about seafood chains - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best seafood restaurant chain in the US?": 1. Bonefish Grill, 2. Legal Sea Foods, 3. Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, 4. Red Lobster - Asked ChatGPT "Which seafood chain in the US has the best value?": 1. Captain D's, 2. Long John Silver's, 3. Red Lobster, 4. Joe's Crab Shack - Asked ChatGPT "What are the most popular seafood chains in the US?": 1. Red Lobster, 2. Captain D's, 3. Long John Silver's, 4. Bonefish Grill, 5. Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, 6. Joe's Crab Shack, 7. Legal Sea Foods - Searched Google, AI Overview "seafood restaurants": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "fish and chips": named none of the brands we track Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 23, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States seafood chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, Red Lobster lost share of searches among seafood chains in the United States, from 54.1% to 49.4%. - 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. ## Month by month | Month | Captain D's estimated searches | Captain D's Share of Search | Captain D's rank | Red Lobster estimated searches | Red Lobster Share of Search | Red Lobster rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1K | 0.03% | 7 | 1.8M | 53% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 880 | 0.03% | 7 | 1.8M | 55% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 880 | 0.03% | 7 | 1.8M | 54.1% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 880 | 0.03% | 7 | 1.8M | 52.2% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 1K | 0.02% | 7 | 2.2M | 54.2% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 1.3K | 0.03% | 7 | 2.2M | 54.1% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 1.3K | 0.03% | 7 | 2.2M | 55.1% | 1 | | May 2026 | 1.3K | 0.03% | 7 | 2.7M | 61.1% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 1.6K | 0.04% | 7 | 2.2M | 59.1% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 1.9K | 0.05% | 7 | 1.8M | 51.8% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 1.9K | 0.06% | 7 | 1.8M | 54.1% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 1.9K | 0.05% | 7 | 1.8M | 49.4% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Captain D's’ and Red Lobster’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**: Measured on the search term “captain ds”. - **Red Lobster**: Measured on the search term “red lobster”. - [Captain D's profile](/demand/us/brands/captain-ds) - [Red Lobster profile](/demand/us/brands/red-lobster) - [All seafood chains in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-seafood-chains): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 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 Captain D's or Red Lobster more popular in search? In September 2026, Red Lobster had more branded searches than Captain D's among seafood chains in the United States. Red Lobster had about 1.8 million branded searches, while Captain D's had 1,900. Red Lobster made up 49.4% of all seafood chain searches we track, and Captain D's accounted for 0.05%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Captain D's vs Red Lobster: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/captain-ds-vs-red-lobster This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/captain-ds-vs-red-lobster. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.