bluebonnet

Hill Country SUN

By Laura Townshend
Looking for a new twist on Happy Hour? The Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls offers a slice of pie and a drink for just $3 during their Pie Happy Hour Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 5 pm. And it’s not just locals who line up for a treat.
Besides delicious dining, the renowned cafe is all about community. Wonderful things happen at the Blue Bonnet. Locals buy meals for active duty personnel, waitstaff check up on regular customers and people come from all over to enjoy the homemade pie and great menu.
Hostess Terry Daughtry says, “The tourists, the outsiders, changed the look of the restaurant. People were coming in specifically for the pie.”
So what might a hungry traveler find on the pie menu? Fruit, nut, creme and meringue pies including apple, cherry, pecan, coconut, banana and lemon. For chocolate lovers, the Cafe offers fudge, chocolate and German chocolate. If you love peanut butter, you’ll find that at the Blue Bonnet, too.
Pie Happy Hour’s secret weapon is baker Maria Dominguez, who’s been making the cafe’s pies for 18 years. Since the inception of Pie Happy Hour, Maria has produced 75 to 100 pies daily (and double that amount on weekends). The mother of five proudly discloses, “This is my first job, and I like it so much, it will be my only job.”
Maria makes her pies (plus donuts, biscuits and breads) from scratch without the help of measuring utensils. Brent Klett, Blue Bonnet Cafe’s manager, says, “She does everything by touch.”
Small in stature with a shy smile, Maria easily manages the cafe’s bakery. Her workday begins at 5 am and ends between 2 pm and 3 pm, Tuesday through Saturday. She admits she doesn’t cook at home and allows family members to spoil her.
During Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, Maria stays busy baking pre-ordered pies. In addition to the regular pie menu, Blue Bonnet offers a seasonal pumpkin pie.
“Thanksgiving is our biggest, busiest time for pies. Typically we cut off all pre-sales on pies four to five days before Thanksgiving. We’ll have pie boxes stacked everywhere,” owner John Kemper says.
Blue Bonnet Cafe was built in 1929 on Main Street and moved to its present location on Highway 281 in 1946. John bought the establishment in 1981. About four years ago, he and his wife, Brenda, brainstormed new ways to bring in customers during weekday afternoons.
“We thought, why not a Pie Happy Hour? It’s brought us a lot of attention, because I don’t know anybody else that has Pie Happy Hour,” he explains.
John recalls some funny pie stories. “I’ve seen lots of different people come in and they’ll order pie before their meal. I had one guy that ordered a coconut creme pie and sat there and ate the whole thing. That was his meal. He said, ‘Bring me a coconut creme pie.’ And he ate it right out of the pie shell.”
The Blue Bonnet Cafe’s success is due in large part to John’s fine-tuned people sense and business savvy.
“I enjoy my customers and my employees. The thing about [the Cafe] is we’re lucky that we have so much business, and that we’re always geared up for business. These waitresses and cooks, they’ll work six, eight hours straight. That’s pretty amazing. To this day, every day, I’m amazed at this place.”
John adds, “It’s not a reflection of me, it’s a reflection of the employees. It’s very touching, because they work so hard.”
The good feelings and vibes seem mutual. A waitress who wished to remain anonymous left a short, handwritten note, expressing that everyone who works for John feels the same way. “John is a true hometown hero. He genuinely cares about all his employees, and the community as well. He has a heart as big as the history of the Blue Bonnet.”
The next time your sweet tooth calls, the Blue Bonnet Cafe awaits you. Instead of the typical Happy Hour, treat yourself to some pie with good friends. After all, feeding customers and nurturing souls is what the Blue Bonnet Cafe is all about.
FYI• The Blue Bonnet Cafe is located at 211 Highway 281 in Marble Falls, with parking behind the establishment. The cafe is open seven days a week: Monday through Thursday from 6 am to 8 pm; Friday and Saturday from 6 am to 9 pm; and Sunday from 6 am to 1:45 pm. Checks and cash (sorry, no credit cards) are accepted, with an ATM on site for customers’ convenience. Pie Happy Hour is offered Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 5 pm. For more information, call 830-693-234 or visit the web site at www.bluebonnetcafe.net.

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