Brandwave

Handel's vs Salt & Straw:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Salt & Straw had more branded searches than Handel's among ice cream chains in the United States. Salt & Straw had about 201,000 branded searches, while Handel's had 169,000. Salt & Straw made up 2.8% of all ice cream chain searches we track, and Handel's accounted for 2.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about ice cream chains, Handel's appeared in three of the four answers and Salt & Straw in two. Salt & Straw was mentioned before Handel's in two out of three answers.

Among ice cream chains in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Salt & Straw, about 19% more searches than Handel's

Salt & Straw 201K searchesHandel's 169K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Handel's, mentioned in 3 of 4 answers, Salt & Straw in 2

Handel's in 3 of 4Salt & Straw in 2 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

Salt & Straw, named ahead of Handel's in 2 of 3 answers

Salt & Straw first in 2Handel's first in 1

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Top ice cream chains in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Handel's was mentioned in three out of four: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Salt & Straw was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Salt & Straw was listed before Handel's in two out of three answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams1st
  2. Salt & Straw2nd
  3. Handel's3rd
  4. Cold Stone Creamery4th
  5. Dairy Queen5th
  6. Baskin-Robbins6th
  7. Culver's7th
  8. Marble Slab Creamery–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Cold Stone Creamery3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Handel's3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Salt & Straw2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Culver's2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Dairy Queen1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Baskin-Robbins1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Marble Slab Creamery0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about ice cream chains

4 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 23, 2026.

Is Handel's or Salt & Straw more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Handel's and Salt & Straw by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight ice cream chains we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Handel's and Salt & Straw among ice cream chains in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Salt & Straw, Handel's. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthDairy QueenCold Stone CreameryBaskin-RobbinsSalt & StrawCulver'sHandel'sMarble Slab CreameryJeni's Splendid Ice Creams
Oct 202548.3%24.1%17.6%4.3%2.5%2%0.58%0.56%
Nov 202544.1%22.1%24.1%4%2.2%2.3%0.65%0.52%
Dec 202546.4%23.2%20.7%4.2%1.9%2.4%0.69%0.55%
Jan 202650%22.3%18.2%3.7%2.5%2.1%0.6%0.49%
Feb 202650.4%22.5%18.3%3%2.5%2.1%0.61%0.49%
Mar 202651.8%21.2%19%3.1%1.8%2.2%0.51%0.5%
Apr 202647%23.5%21%2.8%2%2.4%0.57%0.66%
May 202649.5%24.8%18.1%2.4%2.1%2.1%0.49%0.5%
Jun 202645.3%25.7%20.3%3.3%1.9%2.3%0.55%0.56%
Jul 202644.5%27.2%19.9%2.7%1.9%2.8%0.54%0.49%
Aug 202645.6%25.9%20.4%2.7%1.9%2.4%0.55%0.54%
Sep 202646.9%23.4%21%2.8%2.4%2.4%0.57%0.51%

How has the Handel's and Salt & Straw comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for United States ice cream chains in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Handel's fell from 5th to 6th among ice cream chains in the United States.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Salt & Straw in the United States fell 33.2% over 12 measured months, from 301K to 201K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Handel's’ and Salt & Straw’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.

Handel's

2 branded search terms

  • handels
  • handels ice cream

Salt & Straw

1 branded search term

  • salt and straw

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among ice cream chains

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