Blue Mug Café has fast service, less social media

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - In the so-called digital age, technology seems to be the dominating force of American society. The definition of “social” has changed: though people still connect and interact with each other, their methods of connection have adapted to include smartphones and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. In a 2012 survey conducted by security app Lookout, 58% of adults said they don’t go an hour without checking their phones.

Our devices, it seems, have become extensions of ourselves. In that case, how have they impacted traditional experiences? Thirty percent of participants in Lookout’s survey admitted to checking their phones during meals with others. With customers prone to such behavior, restaurants are forced to adapt to a new social situation.

Javier Williams, one of the owners of Blue Mug Cafe, as well as Yucatan Taco Stand and Brooklyn Café in The Woodlands, recognizes this problem. However, at Blue Mug Café, he has found a way to circumvent it.

“It’s not the typical restaurant,” said Williams. “The whole experience is a little bit faster.”

In traditional restaurant service, the customers are waited on. The keyword here is wait: the diners wait for their waiter, wait for their food, wait for their check. During the interims, the diners get bored and turn to their smartphones and tablets.

At Blue Mug Café, there is no waiting. Customers order their food and pay at the counter. They wait an average of only eight to ten minutes before picking up their meals themselves. The process leaves little time for kids to get squeamish or adults to reach for their devices.

“[The customers] actively participate in the ordering process,” said Williams. “There’s less time to have your kids getting bored.”

Because they don’t have to wait for their food or their check, customers are able to participate in a more traditional dining experience: staying and bonding over food.

“We want them to stay here for longer,” said Paul Celis, the restaurant’s director of operations.

While Blue Mug Café’s restaurant environment evades boredom that might leave customers turning to social media apps, the same restaurant also uses social media as an opportunity to advertise and connect with its customers.

“[We mostly use] Facebook and Twitter,” said Celis.

Celis and Williams also take advantage of review apps and websites. While they don’t usually use such websites to advertise, they keep an eye on them for constructive criticism.

“We monitor those sites to see what the customers are talking about,” said Williams. “We let people leave whatever comments they want.”

Customers’ interactions with restaurant review sites, a segment of social media, benefit the restaurant more than harm it.

“As a general rule, I think they help us more than not,” said Williams.

Surrounded by tweets and wall posts, smartphones and tablets, Blue Mug Café has successfully navigated its way through dining in the digital age. Customers can enjoy a modern version of the traditional dining experience.

“Our visitors mainly come to have a good time,” said Williams.