--- title: "City Barbeque vs Sonny's BBQ: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is City Barbeque or Sonny's BBQ more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the BBQ 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/city-barbeque-vs-sonnys-bbq" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # City Barbeque vs Sonny's BBQ: Which is searched more in the United States? Is City Barbeque or Sonny's BBQ more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the BBQ 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**: City Barbeque and Sonny's BBQ - **Competitive set**: BBQ chains - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **City Barbeque Share of Search**: 33% - **Sonny's BBQ Share of Search**: 13.5% ## Is City Barbeque or Sonny's BBQ more popular in search? - In September 2026, City Barbeque had more branded searches than Sonny's BBQ among BBQ chains in the United States. City Barbeque had about 602,000 branded searches, while Sonny's BBQ had 246,000. City Barbeque made up 33% of all BBQ chain searches we track, and Sonny's BBQ accounted for 13.5%. - City Barbeque was ahead of Sonny's BBQ in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, City Barbeque’s share of searches among BBQ chains in the United States moved from 27.8% to 33%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 492K to 602K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sonny's BBQ’s share of searches among BBQ chains in the United States moved from 13.9% to 13.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 246K. ## Top BBQ chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, City Barbeque was mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Sonny's BBQ was mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. City Barbeque was listed before Sonny's BBQ 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mission BBQ | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | City Barbeque | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Dickey's Barbecue Pit | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Famous Dave's | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Sonny's BBQ | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | Pappas Bar-B-Q | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about BBQ chains - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best BBQ chain in the US?": 1. Mission BBQ, 2. City Barbeque, 3. Famous Dave's, 4. Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q, 5. Dickey's Barbecue Pit, 6. Pappas Bar-B-Q - Asked ChatGPT "Which barbecue restaurant chain in the US has the best brisket?": 1. Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q, 2. Mission BBQ, 3. City Barbeque, 4. Dickey's Barbecue Pit - Asked ChatGPT "What are the most popular BBQ chains in the US?": 1. Dickey's Barbecue Pit, 2. Famous Dave's, 3. Mission BBQ, 4. Sonny's BBQ, 5. City Barbeque, 6. Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q, 7. Pappas Bar-B-Q - Searched Google, AI Overview "bbq near me": 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 BBQ chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, City Barbeque gained share of searches among BBQ chains in the United States, from 31.5% to 33%. - In September 2026, Sonny's BBQ lost share of searches among BBQ chains in the United States, from 15.8% to 13.5%. ## Month by month | Month | City Barbeque estimated searches | City Barbeque Share of Search | City Barbeque rank | Sonny's BBQ estimated searches | Sonny's BBQ Share of Search | Sonny's BBQ rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 492K | 27.8% | 2 | 246K | 13.9% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 602K | 28.3% | 2 | 246K | 11.6% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 602K | 30.7% | 2 | 301K | 15.3% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 492K | 28.7% | 2 | 246K | 14.3% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 492K | 28.7% | 2 | 246K | 14.3% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 602K | 28.5% | 2 | 301K | 14.2% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 602K | 31.5% | 2 | 301K | 15.8% | 3 | | May 2026 | 736K | 33% | 2 | 301K | 13.5% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 602K | 28.8% | 2 | 301K | 14.4% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 736K | 35.4% | 1 | 301K | 14.5% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 602K | 31.5% | 2 | 301K | 15.8% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 602K | 33% | 2 | 246K | 13.5% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using City Barbeque’s and Sonny's BBQ’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. - **City Barbeque**: Measured on the search terms “city barbeque” and “city bbq”, summed into one figure. - **Sonny's BBQ**: Measured on the search term “sonnys bbq”. - [City Barbeque profile](/demand/us/brands/city-barbeque) - [Sonny's BBQ profile](/demand/us/brands/sonnys-bbq) - [All BBQ chains in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-bbq-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 City Barbeque or Sonny's BBQ more popular in search? In September 2026, City Barbeque had more branded searches than Sonny's BBQ among BBQ chains in the United States. City Barbeque had about 602,000 branded searches, while Sonny's BBQ had 246,000. City Barbeque made up 33% of all BBQ chain searches we track, and Sonny's BBQ accounted for 13.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "City Barbeque vs Sonny's BBQ: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/city-barbeque-vs-sonnys-bbq This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/city-barbeque-vs-sonnys-bbq. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.