Brandwave

Joe's Crab Shack vs Red Lobster:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Red Lobster had more branded searches than Joe's Crab Shack among seafood chains in the United States. Red Lobster had about 1.8 million branded searches, while Joe's Crab Shack had 3,600. Red Lobster made up 49.4% of all seafood chain searches we track, and Joe's Crab Shack accounted for 0.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about seafood chains, Red Lobster appeared in three of the five answers and Joe's Crab Shack in two. Red Lobster was mentioned before Joe's Crab Shack in every answer.

Among seafood chains in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Red Lobster, about 508 searches for every 1 for Joe's Crab Shack

Red Lobster 1.8M searchesJoe's Crab Shack 3.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Red Lobster, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Joe's Crab Shack in 2

Red Lobster in 3 of 5Joe's Crab Shack in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Red Lobster, named ahead of Joe's Crab Shack in every answer

Red Lobster first in 3Joe's Crab Shack never first

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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. Joe's Crab Shack 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 Joe's Crab Shack in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Captain D's1st
  2. Red Lobster2nd
  3. Bonefish Grill3rd
  4. Long John Silver's4th
  5. Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen5th
  6. Legal Sea Foods6th
  7. Joe's Crab Shack7th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Red Lobster3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Long John Silver's2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Bonefish Grill2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Legal Sea Foods2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Joe's Crab Shack2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Captain D's2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about seafood chains

5 answers

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

Is Joe's Crab Shack or Red Lobster more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Joe's Crab Shack and Red Lobster by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven seafood chains we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Joe's Crab Shack and Red Lobster among seafood chains in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Red Lobster, Joe's Crab Shack. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthRed LobsterLong John Silver'sBonefish GrillPappadeaux Seafood KitchenLegal Sea FoodsJoe's Crab ShackCaptain D's
Oct 202553%19.5%19.5%7.1%0.78%0.07%0.03%
Nov 202555%20.2%16.5%7.4%0.81%0.05%0.03%
Dec 202554.1%16.3%19.9%8.9%0.8%0.07%0.03%
Jan 202652.2%19.2%19.2%8.6%0.63%0.07%0.03%
Feb 202654.2%19.9%16.3%8.9%0.54%0.09%0.02%
Mar 202654.1%19.9%16.2%8.9%0.8%0.09%0.03%
Apr 202655.1%20.2%16.5%7.4%0.67%0.09%0.03%
May 202661.1%15%15%8.2%0.6%0.1%0.03%
Jun 202659.1%17.7%14.5%7.9%0.59%0.14%0.04%
Jul 202651.8%23.3%15.6%8.5%0.63%0.15%0.05%
Aug 202654.1%19.9%16.3%8.9%0.66%0.13%0.06%
Sep 202649.4%27%14.8%8.1%0.49%0.1%0.05%

How has the Joe's Crab Shack and Red Lobster comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Red Lobster lost share of searches among seafood chains in the United States, from 54.1% to 49.4%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Joe's Crab Shack in the United States rose 50% over 12 measured months, from 2.4K to 3.6K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Joe's Crab Shack’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.

Joe's Crab Shack

1 branded search term

  • joes crab shack

Red Lobster

1 branded search term

  • red lobster

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among seafood chains

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