--- title: "El Pollo Loco vs QDOBA: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is El Pollo Loco or QDOBA more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Mexican fast food 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/el-pollo-loco-vs-qdoba" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # El Pollo Loco vs QDOBA: Which is searched more in the United States? Is El Pollo Loco or QDOBA more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Mexican fast food 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**: El Pollo Loco and QDOBA - **Competitive set**: Mexican fast food chains - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **El Pollo Loco Share of Search**: 3.8% - **QDOBA Share of Search**: 5.8% ## Is El Pollo Loco or QDOBA more popular in search? - In September 2026, QDOBA had more branded searches than El Pollo Loco among mexican fast food chains in the United States. QDOBA had about 1.5 million branded searches, while El Pollo Loco had 1 million. QDOBA made up 5.8% of all mexican fast food chain searches we track, and El Pollo Loco accounted for 3.8%. - QDOBA was ahead of El Pollo Loco in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, El Pollo Loco’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States moved from 3.7% to 3.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, QDOBA’s share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States moved from 6.9% to 5.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.8M to 1.5M. ## Top mexican fast food chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions, QDOBA appeared in all three answers. El Pollo Loco did not appear 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Chipotle Mexican Grill | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Del Taco | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Taco Bell | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | QDOBA | 4th | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Freebirds World Burrito | 5th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Torchy's Tacos | 6th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Moe's Southwest Grill | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | | Taco John's | 8th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | | El Pollo Loco | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | ## Every AI answer about mexican fast food chains - Asked ChatGPT "Which Mexican fast food chain is the best in the US?": 1. Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2. Taco Bell, 3. Del Taco, 4. QDOBA, 5. Torchy's Tacos - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best burrito and taco chains in the US?": 1. Chipotle Mexican Grill, 2. Taco Bell, 3. QDOBA, 4. Del Taco, 5. Torchy's Tacos, 6. Moe's Southwest Grill, 7. Freebirds World Burrito, 8. Taco John's - Asked ChatGPT "Where can I get the best fast food burrito in the US?": 1. Del Taco, 2. Chipotle Mexican Grill, 3. Freebirds World Burrito, 4. QDOBA, 5. Taco Bell Not named in any answer: El Pollo Loco. 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 mexican fast food chains in September 2026? - In September 2026, QDOBA lost share of searches among mexican fast food chains in the United States, from 6.9% to 5.8%. - In September 2026, El Pollo Loco rose from 5th to 4th among mexican fast food chains in the United States. ## Month by month | Month | El Pollo Loco estimated searches | El Pollo Loco Share of Search | El Pollo Loco rank | QDOBA estimated searches | QDOBA Share of Search | QDOBA rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1M | 3.7% | 5 | 1.8M | 6.9% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 823K | 3.1% | 5 | 1.8M | 7% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 823K | 3% | 5 | 1.5M | 5.4% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 823K | 2.9% | 5 | 1.8M | 6.5% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 823K | 3.5% | 5 | 1.5M | 6.4% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 1M | 3.5% | 5 | 1.8M | 6.5% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 1M | 3.8% | 5 | 1.8M | 6.9% | 3 | | May 2026 | 1M | 3.7% | 5 | 1.8M | 6.9% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 1M | 3.8% | 4 | 1.8M | 6.9% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 1M | 4% | 5 | 1.5M | 6% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 1M | 3.7% | 5 | 1.8M | 6.9% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 1M | 3.8% | 4 | 1.5M | 5.8% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using El Pollo Loco’s and QDOBA’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. - **El Pollo Loco**: Measured on the search term “el pollo loco”. - **QDOBA**: Measured on the search term “qdoba”. - [El Pollo Loco profile](/demand/us/brands/el-pollo-loco) - [QDOBA profile](/demand/us/brands/qdoba) - [All mexican fast food chains in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-mexican-fast-food-chains): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 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 El Pollo Loco or QDOBA more popular in search? In September 2026, QDOBA had more branded searches than El Pollo Loco among mexican fast food chains in the United States. QDOBA had about 1.5 million branded searches, while El Pollo Loco had 1 million. QDOBA made up 5.8% of all mexican fast food chain searches we track, and El Pollo Loco accounted for 3.8%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "El Pollo Loco vs QDOBA: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/el-pollo-loco-vs-qdoba This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/el-pollo-loco-vs-qdoba. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.