--- title: "First Watch vs IHOP: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is First Watch or IHOP more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Breakfast 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/first-watch-vs-ihop" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # First Watch vs IHOP: Which is searched more in the United States? Is First Watch or IHOP more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Breakfast 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**: First Watch and IHOP - **Competitive set**: Breakfast chains - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **First Watch Share of Search**: 22.8% - **IHOP Share of Search**: 27.9% ## Is First Watch or IHOP more popular in search? - In September 2026, IHOP had more branded searches than First Watch among breakfast chains in the United States. IHOP had about 4.1 million branded searches, while First Watch had 3.4 million. IHOP made up 27.9% of all breakfast chain searches we track, and First Watch accounted for 22.8%. - IHOP was ahead of First Watch in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, First Watch’s share of searches among breakfast chains in the United States moved from 16.3% to 22.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.7M to 3.4M. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, IHOP’s share of searches among breakfast chains in the United States moved from 24.4% to 27.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 4.1M. ## Top breakfast chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions, IHOP appeared in all three answers. First Watch was mentioned in two out of three: in two of the three ChatGPT answers. First Watch was listed before IHOP 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 | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Cracker Barrel | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | First Watch | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | IHOP | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Waffle House | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | The Original Pancake House | 5th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Denny's | 6th | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Bob Evans | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | ## Every AI answer about breakfast chains - Asked ChatGPT "Which breakfast chain is the best in the US?": 1. First Watch, 2. Waffle House, 3. Cracker Barrel, 4. IHOP, 5. Denny's - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best breakfast restaurant chains in the US?": 1. First Watch, 2. The Original Pancake House, 3. Cracker Barrel, 4. IHOP, 5. Waffle House, 6. Denny's, 7. Bob Evans - Asked ChatGPT "Which diner chain in the US has the best pancakes?": 1. IHOP, 2. Cracker Barrel, 3. Denny's, 4. The Original Pancake House 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 breakfast chains in September 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for First Watch in the United States rose 22.3% over 12 measured months, from 2.7M to 3.4M in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | First Watch estimated searches | First Watch Share of Search | First Watch rank | IHOP estimated searches | IHOP Share of Search | IHOP rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 2.7M | 16.3% | 4 | 4.1M | 24.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 2.7M | 14.9% | 5 | 5M | 27.1% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 2.7M | 14.8% | 4 | 5M | 27% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 2.7M | 16.9% | 4 | 4.1M | 25.2% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 2.7M | 18.4% | 3 | 4.1M | 27.5% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 3.4M | 20.1% | 2 | 5M | 30% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 3.4M | 22.8% | 2 | 4.1M | 27.8% | 1 | | May 2026 | 4.1M | 26.4% | 1 | 4.1M | 26.4% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 3.4M | 22.8% | 2 | 4.1M | 27.8% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 3.4M | 22.8% | 2 | 4.1M | 27.8% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 3.4M | 22.8% | 2 | 4.1M | 27.8% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 3.4M | 22.8% | 2 | 4.1M | 27.9% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using First Watch’s and IHOP’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. - **First Watch**: Measured on the search term “first watch”. - **IHOP**: Measured on the search term “ihop”. - [First Watch profile](/demand/us/brands/first-watch) - [IHOP profile](/demand/us/brands/ihop) - [All breakfast chains in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-breakfast-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 First Watch or IHOP more popular in search? In September 2026, IHOP had more branded searches than First Watch among breakfast chains in the United States. IHOP had about 4.1 million branded searches, while First Watch had 3.4 million. IHOP made up 27.9% of all breakfast chain searches we track, and First Watch accounted for 22.8%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "First Watch vs IHOP: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/first-watch-vs-ihop This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/first-watch-vs-ihop. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.