海角大神

Chick-fil-A's updated app has already seen over 1 million downloads since its launch Wednesday, making it the current No. 1 most downloaded free app on iTunes.

Chick-fil-A has often made headlines for its founders' traditional 海角大神-family values (including closing on Sunday) and simple chicken sandwiches. The success of the app indicates that families are still behind the chain's success, but with a smartphone-style twist.聽

Yes, the offer of a free chicken sandwich if you sign up for the new app (through the end of June) certainly accounts for some of the interest. But that alone wouldn't power its No. 1 status for three days in a row. After all, apps for Sonic, McDonalds, Dairy Queen, and Burger King offer their own signature items free to new downloaders, and none of them have taken the top slot on iTunes.聽

So, what's the app's appeal? Faster service for young families.

According to Chick-fil-A's own research, 82 percent of Millennial parents said they would "do almost anything" to avoid waiting with their children in long lines at fast food restaurants. For almost half, that includes sacrificing the meal altogether.

The study shows not only the value in cutting wait times for a busy society accustomed to instant purchases, but also shows the brand is simultaneously playing to its family-oriented fan base while聽investing in the sometimes-tricky Millennial market.聽

鈥淭here are roughly 80 million of them. This makes Millennials the biggest generation thus far," Chelsea Davis wrote in a blog for聽TraceGains, a company that provides technology to improve safety in food manufacturing. "And one thing is for certain, based on research, they are definitely changing the landscape of the food industry."聽

Leery of institutions but fond of their food, Millennials are an attractive market that is proving difficult for many major brands. Fast food restaurants have been hit particularly hard by the shift in food preferences, with even McDonald's reporting sales declines. Chick-fil-A continues to open new stores in previously untested markets, achieving more per-restaurant sales than any other American fast food brand, Hayley Peterson reported for Business Insider.聽

"The ones that will ultimately gain popularity among Millennials will be those that are willing to innovate while staying authentic," Ms. Davis continued on TraceGains. "Food manufacturers must now walk the line between making all-natural and sustainable product claims, and being 100% truthful in their statements."

The success of the app suggests that Chick-fil-A has found this balance.聽Chick-fil-A has established its own "authentic" ways to聽court American families聽"more vigorously and more successfully"聽than most, as Adam Chandler wrote for The Atlantic.聽

An early adopter of the antibiotics-free movement and a rare restaurant that still puts a flower on the tables, the chain has managed to convince fans that it is a healthier, more down-home and traditionally American dining experience than most fast food chains even aspire to.