Chick-fil-A was named most often, but six other chains are within its margin. Chick-fil-A: 58/288 (20.1%; 95% interval 15.9–25.1%). Jersey Mike's: 54/288 (18.8%; 95% interval 14.7–23.7%). Their 95% intervals overlap. McDonald's (52/288), Chipotle (50/288), Taco Bell (44/288), Cava (35/288) and Olive Garden (35/288) are also within the margin.
RESEARCH · Published June 15, 2026 · Updated November 11, 2026
Restaurant Chains Index 2.0: Seven Chains Too Close to Call
AI answers analyzed across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity
of answers named Chick-fil-A, the most-named (58 of 288)
tracked chains named at least once (of 56)
of Google searches showed an AI Overview (57 of 57)
Version 2. This version replaces the first version of this study, first published June 15, 2026. It uses measured counts, so the two versions are not comparable. Version 2 asks 24 questions three times each on ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity (288 answers) and adds Google AI Overviews. Every rate comes with its count and a 95% interval.
What the data shows
58/288 (20.1%)
30/288 (10.4%)
5/288 (1.7%)
57/57 (100%)
18/57 (31.6%)
64/288 (22.2%)
Appearance rate across 288 four-engine answers. The bar is the 95% confidence interval; overlapping bars cannot be told apart at this sample size.
Which chains AI engines name
| # | Name | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chick-fil-A | 58/288 | 20.1% | 15.9–25.1% |
| 2 | Jersey Mike's | 54/288 | 18.8% | 14.7–23.7% |
| 3 | McDonald's | 52/288 | 18.1% | 14.0–22.9% |
| 4 | Chipotle | 50/288 | 17.4% | 13.4–22.2% |
| 5 | Taco Bell | 44/288 | 15.3% | 11.6–19.9% |
| 6 | Cava | 35/288 | 12.2% | 8.9–16.4% |
| 7 | Olive Garden | 35/288 | 12.2% | 8.9–16.4% |
| 8 | Texas Roadhouse | 31/288 | 10.8% | 7.7–14.9% |
| 9 | 7 Brew | 28/288 | 9.7% | 6.8–13.7% |
| 10 | Starbucks | 28/288 | 9.7% | 6.8–13.7% |
| 11 | Five Guys | 27/288 | 9.4% | 6.5–13.3% |
| 12 | Panera Bread | 27/288 | 9.4% | 6.5–13.3% |
| 13 | Sweetgreen | 26/288 | 9.0% | 6.2–12.9% |
| 14 | Whataburger | 24/288 | 8.3% | 5.7–12.1% |
| 15 | Dutch Bros | 23/288 | 8.0% | 5.4–11.7% |
The full list
Own-domain citation is the share of 288 grounded answers that cited the tracked name's own domains (subdomains included). Citation share is of all 2,084 citations.
| # | Chain | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval | First mention | Own-domain citation | Citation share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chick-fil-A | 58/288 | 20.1% | 15.9–25.1% | 2.3 | 0.3% (1/288) | 0% |
| 2 | Jersey Mike's | 54/288 | 18.8% | 14.7–23.7% | 2.1 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 3 | McDonald's | 52/288 | 18.1% | 14–22.9% | 2.4 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 4 | Chipotle | 50/288 | 17.4% | 13.4–22.2% | 2.3 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 5 | Taco Bell | 44/288 | 15.3% | 11.6–19.9% | 2.5 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 6 | Cava | 35/288 | 12.2% | 8.9–16.4% | 2.2 | 0.3% (1/288) | 0% |
| 7 | Olive Garden | 35/288 | 12.2% | 8.9–16.4% | 2.1 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 8 | Texas Roadhouse | 31/288 | 10.8% | 7.7–14.9% | 1.4 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 9 | 7 Brew | 28/288 | 9.7% | 6.8–13.7% | 1.7 | 0.3% (1/288) | 0% |
| 10 | Starbucks | 28/288 | 9.7% | 6.8–13.7% | 2.3 | 0.3% (1/288) | 0% |
| 11 | Five Guys | 27/288 | 9.4% | 6.5–13.3% | 2.5 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 12 | Panera Bread | 27/288 | 9.4% | 6.5–13.3% | 3.5 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 13 | Sweetgreen | 26/288 | 9% | 6.2–12.9% | 2.5 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 14 | Whataburger | 24/288 | 8.3% | 5.7–12.1% | 3 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 15 | Dutch Bros | 23/288 | 8% | 5.4–11.7% | 2 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 16 | Dunkin' | 22/288 | 7.6% | 5.1–11.3% | 3.8 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 17 | In-N-Out Burger | 22/288 | 7.6% | 5.1–11.3% | 2.5 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 18 | Jimmy John's | 22/288 | 7.6% | 5.1–11.3% | 2.8 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 19 | Culver's | 20/288 | 6.9% | 4.5–10.5% | 3.8 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 20 | Wingstop | 20/288 | 6.9% | 4.5–10.5% | 1.6 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 21 | Wendy's | 19/288 | 6.6% | 4.3–10.1% | 2.5 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 22 | LongHorn Steakhouse | 18/288 | 6.3% | 4–9.7% | 1.6 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 23 | Subway | 17/288 | 5.9% | 3.7–9.2% | 3.2 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 24 | Domino's | 16/288 | 5.6% | 3.4–8.8% | 1.6 | 0.3% (1/288) | 0% |
| 25 | Jack in the Box | 16/288 | 5.6% | 3.4–8.8% | 2.6 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 26 | Popeyes | 16/288 | 5.6% | 3.4–8.8% | 1.7 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 27 | Shake Shack | 16/288 | 5.6% | 3.4–8.8% | 3.9 | 0.3% (1/288) | 0% |
| 28 | Burger King | 15/288 | 5.2% | 3.2–8.4% | 3.9 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
The full list (continued)
| # | Chain | Named in | Appearance rate | 95% interval | First mention | Own-domain citation | Citation share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Cracker Barrel | 15/288 | 5.2% | 3.2–8.4% | 2.3 | 1% (3/288) | 0.1% |
| 30 | Chili's | 14/288 | 4.9% | 2.9–8% | 3.3 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 31 | Dave's Hot Chicken | 13/288 | 4.5% | 2.7–7.6% | 3.8 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 32 | Little Caesars | 13/288 | 4.5% | 2.7–7.6% | 4.6 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 33 | Qdoba | 13/288 | 4.5% | 2.7–7.6% | 2.2 | 1.7% (5/288) | 0.4% |
| 34 | Papa John's | 12/288 | 4.2% | 2.4–7.1% | 2.3 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 35 | Raising Cane's | 12/288 | 4.2% | 2.4–7.1% | 5.3 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 36 | Waffle House | 12/288 | 4.2% | 2.4–7.1% | 3.5 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 37 | Buffalo Wild Wings | 11/288 | 3.8% | 2.1–6.7% | 2.1 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 38 | Firehouse Subs | 11/288 | 3.8% | 2.1–6.7% | 3 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 39 | Pizza Hut | 11/288 | 3.8% | 2.1–6.7% | 2.7 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 40 | Panda Express | 8/288 | 2.8% | 1.4–5.4% | 4.4 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 41 | Arby's | 7/288 | 2.4% | 1.2–4.9% | 4.1 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 42 | KFC | 7/288 | 2.4% | 1.2–4.9% | 4.7 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 43 | Denny's | 6/288 | 2.1% | 1–4.5% | 4.5 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 44 | Dickey's Barbecue Pit | 6/288 | 2.1% | 1–4.5% | 1.2 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 45 | IHOP | 6/288 | 2.1% | 1–4.5% | 4.2 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 46 | Bojangles | 4/288 | 1.4% | 0.5–3.5% | 3.5 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 47 | Famous Dave's | 3/288 | 1% | 0.4–3% | 1.7 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 48 | Outback Steakhouse | 3/288 | 1% | 0.4–3% | 4 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 49 | Applebee's | 2/288 | 0.7% | 0.2–2.5% | 6 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 50 | Zaxby's | 1/288 | 0.3% | 0.1–1.9% | 3 | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 51 | Cinnabon | 0/288 | 0% | 0–1.3% | – | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 52 | Dairy Queen | 0/288 | 0% | 0–1.3% | – | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 53 | Mendocino Farms | 0/288 | 0% | 0–1.3% | – | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 54 | Slim Chickens | 0/288 | 0% | 0–1.3% | – | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 55 | Sonic Drive-In | 0/288 | 0% | 0–1.3% | – | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
| 56 | Tropical Smoothie Cafe | 0/288 | 0% | 0–1.3% | – | 0% (0/288) | 0% |
The top eight, side by side
| # | Name | Appearance rate | Answers and interval | Other measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chick-fil-A | 20.1% | 58/288 answers · 95% CI 15.9–25.1% | first-mention position: 2.3; owned-domain citation (1/288): 0.3%; citation share: 0% |
| 2 | Jersey Mike's | 18.8% | 54/288 answers · 95% CI 14.7–23.7% | first-mention position: 2.1; owned-domain citation (0/288): 0%; citation share: 0% |
| 3 | McDonald's | 18.1% | 52/288 answers · 95% CI 14–22.9% | first-mention position: 2.4; owned-domain citation (0/288): 0%; citation share: 0% |
| 4 | Chipotle | 17.4% | 50/288 answers · 95% CI 13.4–22.2% | first-mention position: 2.3; owned-domain citation (0/288): 0%; citation share: 0% |
| 5 | Taco Bell | 15.3% | 44/288 answers · 95% CI 11.6–19.9% | first-mention position: 2.5; owned-domain citation (0/288): 0%; citation share: 0% |
| 6 | Cava | 12.2% | 35/288 answers · 95% CI 8.9–16.4% | first-mention position: 2.2; owned-domain citation (1/288): 0.3%; citation share: 0% |
| 7 | Olive Garden | 12.2% | 35/288 answers · 95% CI 8.9–16.4% | first-mention position: 2.1; owned-domain citation (0/288): 0%; citation share: 0% |
| 8 | Texas Roadhouse | 10.8% | 31/288 answers · 95% CI 7.7–14.9% | first-mention position: 1.4; owned-domain citation (0/288): 0%; citation share: 0% |
The four engines named the leading names at similar rates.
ChatGPT
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Same questions, different answers
Claude
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Gemini
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Perplexity
72 asked · 72 returned · 72 grounded
Google AI Overviews were captured through 57 U.S. desktop searches and scored only where an overview appeared, so five-engine figures use 288 + 57 = 345 answers.
The fifth engine
Trigger rate: 57 of 57 searches
Google AI Overviews appeared on 57 of 57 searches (100%, CI 93.7–100%). The other 0 searches showed no overview. Within the 57 overviews, Chick-fil-A was named in 18 (31.6%), McDonald's was named in 14 (24.6%), Taco Bell was named in 13 (22.8%), Jersey Mike's was named in 12 (21.1%). youtube.com was the most-cited source, with 51 citations and an appearance in 33 of 57 overviews.
| Five-engine rank | Name | Five-engine rate | Four-engine rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chick-fil-A | 22.0% | 1 |
| 2 | Jersey Mike's | 19.1% | 2 |
| 3 | McDonald's | 19.1% | 3 |
| 4 | Chipotle | 17.7% | 4 |
| 5 | Taco Bell | 16.5% | 5 |
| 6 | Olive Garden | 12.5% | 7 |
| 7 | Cava | 11.3% | 6 |
| 8 | Texas Roadhouse | 11.3% | 8 |
| 9 | Five Guys | 10.7% | 11 |
| 10 | Sweetgreen | 10.1% | 13 |
Who each question surfaces first
Six questions from the set. Each tile uses that question's own four-engine answers as the denominator.
| Question | Leader | Next | AI Overview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q01 · 12 answers | Jersey Mike's 100.0% | McDonald's 83.3%; Chick-fil-A 75.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q02 · 12 answers | Five Guys 100.0% | In-N-Out Burger 83.3%; Burger King 66.7% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q03 · 12 answers | Popeyes 100.0% | Chick-fil-A 83.3%; KFC 33.3% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q04 · 12 answers | Wingstop 100.0% | Buffalo Wild Wings 91.7%; Popeyes 33.3% | AI Overview shown on 1 of 1 searches |
| Q05 · 12 answers | Starbucks 100.0% | Dunkin' 75.0%; Dutch Bros 75.0% | AI Overview shown on 3 of 3 searches |
| Q06 · 12 answers | Dutch Bros 100.0% | 7 Brew 91.7%; Starbucks 83.3% | AI Overview shown on 2 of 2 searches |
The four engines produced 2,084 citations in total. en.wikipedia.org was cited most often, with 149 citations (7.1%) across 64 answers. Next came tastingtable.com (118), eatthis.com (89), mashed.com (59), thetakeout.com (56), allrecipes.com (54).
Four AI engines · share of 288 grounded answers
Most-cited domains
Google AI Overviews · share of 57 overviews
Citation share by source type
Share of all citations by the type of site cited.
| Source type | Four AI engines (of 2,084 citations) | Google AI Overviews (of 192 citations) |
|---|---|---|
| General news / business press | 728 (34.9%) | 27 (14.1%) |
| Other / unclassified | 618 (29.7%) | 35 (18.2%) |
| Reference | 204 (9.8%) | 10 (5.2%) |
| Review / comparison publishers | 152 (7.3%) | 4 (2.1%) |
| Company / brand sites | 98 (4.7%) | 10 (5.2%) |
| Health publishers | 97 (4.7%) | 5 (2.6%) |
| Research / data providers | 72 (3.5%) | 0 (0%) |
| Community / social | 45 (2.2%) | 98 (51%) |
| Trade / specialist press | 39 (1.9%) | 0 (0%) |
| Directories / rankings | 28 (1.3%) | 3 (1.6%) |
| Official / government | 2 (0.1%) | 0 (0%) |
| Institutions / trade bodies | 1 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
How can chains improve their AI visibility?
These steps follow from the measured results above. They describe what the engines cited in this study and are not a guarantee of results.
| Step | What this study measured |
|---|---|
| Put your facts on your own domain. | Starbucks' own domains were cited in 0.3% of grounded answers, Chick-fil-A's in 0.3% and Cava's in 0.3%. |
| Keep your facts accurate on the sites engines cite. | The most-cited sites other than the tracked names' own were tastingtable.com (in 33.7% of grounded answers), en.wikipedia.org (22.2%), eatthis.com (19.1%), thetakeout.com (18.4%) and mashed.com (17.4%). General news and business press supplied 34.9% of citations and reference sites 9.8%. |
| Check each engine separately. | Gemini named Chick-fil-A in 29.2% of answers against 4.2% on ChatGPT. ChatGPT named McDonald's in 23.6% of answers against 11.1% on Gemini. |
| Watch names outside the tracked list. | Del Taco (14 answers), The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill (12 answers), American Customer Satisfaction Index (8 answers), Scooter’s Coffee (7 answers), Habit Burger & Grill (7 answers) were named often but were not tracked. |
| Re-run the same questions every month. | Compare counts and intervals, not ranks. The 24 questions are in the appendix. |
What AI answers
Which chain do AI engines name most often?
Chick-fil-A, named in 58 of 288 four-engine answers (20.1%, CI 15.9–25.1%). Jersey Mike's was second at 54 of 288 (18.8%). The intervals overlap, so the two cannot be separated statistically.
Which chain is named first most often?
Jersey Mike's was the first chain named in 30 of 288 answers, with an average first position of 2.1.
How often do Google AI Overviews appear for these questions?
An overview appeared on 57 of 57 searches (100%, CI 93.7–100%). Within those 57 overviews, Chick-fil-A was named most often, in 18 (31.6%).
Which sources do the engines cite?
Across 2,084 four-engine citations, en.wikipedia.org was cited most (149 citations, in 64 of 288 grounded answers), followed by tastingtable.com (118 citations).
Do the four engines agree?
Largely. No tracked name differed by more than 12 points between engines.
How this study was measured
24 questions × 3 runs each × 4 AI engines = 288 answers + 57 Google searches · 57 AI Overviews
24 questions asked three times on each of ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity, measured October 30 to 31, 2026. United States, English; Google retrieval uses desktop results. Models: gpt-5-mini, claude-sonnet-5-5, gemini-3.6-flash only, sonar-pro. Google AI Overviews come from DataForSEO, not inferred chat answers. Appearance counts returned text, including ungrounded answers; citation rates use grounded answers. Longer overlapping names suppress shorter ones; First mention is the earliest eligible name order. Own-domain rates include declared domains and subdomains; shared parent scopes may count for multiple names and cannot be summed as unique citations.
| Engine | Model IDs called | Asked | Returned | Grounded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | gpt-5-mini | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Claude | claude-sonnet-5-5 | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Gemini | gemini-3.6-flash | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Perplexity | sonar-pro | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Google AI Overviews | DataForSEO Google SERP (live, advanced) | 57 | 57 shown | 57 |
Own-domain citations count a domain plus all its subdomains, with the same rule in every table.
Definitions
- Appearance rate: answers naming the tracked name ÷ answers returned, with Wilson 95% intervals.
- First mention: average order in which the tracked name first appears (1 = first).
- Own-domain citation: grounded answers citing the tracked name's domains ÷ grounded answers.
- Citation share: citations to the tracked name's domains ÷ all citations.
Limits
- Only 56 tracked chains are ranked; results are not an exhaustive market ranking.
- Only the tracked chains were scored. Untracked names that appeared often were not scored, including Del Taco (14 answers), The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill (12 answers), American Customer Satisfaction Index (8 answers), Scooter’s Coffee (7 answers), Habit Burger & Grill (7 answers).
- Answers were collected over two days, October 30 and 31, 2026. 345 of 360 planned results were returned. 15 AI Overview lookups were excluded after at most three total attempts.
- 57 successful Google searches: 57 overviews shown; 0 without an overview. Failures are excluded, not scored as zero.
- All returned chat answers had search sources.
- No Core question names a tracked name.
- Unverified own domains are not available, never zero or guessed. Source types use Company / brand sites only for verified official organisations; other unresolved sites are Other / unclassified.
- Wilson 95% intervals are descriptive; overlapping leading intervals do not establish a sole leader. Measurements do not endorse medical, legal, financial or product claims.
- The tracked chains are the 25 from the original report plus 30 chains added across eleven restaurant types. Each chain counts its own US website.
- Answers came from each engine's API (model IDs above); the consumer apps can answer differently.
Appendix: The 24 questions
Questions marked "Core question" are the original study questions, asked word for word. The others are added neutral questions.
| # | Question | Group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | What is the best fast food chain in the US? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 02 | What is the best burger chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 03 | What is the best fast food chicken sandwich? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 04 | What is the best chicken wing chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 05 | What is the best coffee chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 06 | What is the best drive-thru coffee chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 07 | What is the best pizza chain for delivery? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 08 | What is the best fast casual restaurant? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 09 | What is the best Mexican fast food chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 10 | What is the best Mediterranean chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 11 | What is the best healthy fast food chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 12 | What is the best sub sandwich chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 13 | What is the best chain steakhouse? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 14 | What is the best value fast food chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Core question |
| 15 | What is the best fast food chain for breakfast? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Added question |
| 16 | Which fast food chain has the best fries? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Added question |
| 17 | What is the best casual dining chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Added question |
| 18 | What is the best Italian chain restaurant? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Added question |
| 19 | What is the best salad chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Added question |
| 20 | What is the best late-night fast food chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Added question |
| 21 | Which new restaurant chains are growing fastest? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Added question |
| 22 | What is the best family restaurant chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Added question |
| 23 | What is the best chain for a quick lunch? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Added question |
| 24 | What is the best barbecue chain? | US Restaurant Chains Index 2.0 | Added question |
About 5W
5W is an independent PR, creative and GEO agency founded in 2003, and we get you in the chatbox. All of our work is done in house, including media relations, site building and content. Learn more about our GEO practice or write to info@5wpr.com.
Full report
Read the PDF
Get in touch
Let's build your next chapter.
Tell us what you're working on. A senior strategist will respond within one business day.
- info@5wpr.com
- Phone
- 212.999.5585
- Offices
- Miami · HQ100 SE 2nd Street, Floor 38
Miami, FL 33131Tampa110 South 12th Street
Tampa, FL 33602New York469 7th Avenue, Floor 8
New York, NY 10018




