sat around

The waitress brought us some menus, so I had to take my eyes off Eri for a while, and decide what to order. Chie got all excited because they had one of her favorite dishes on the menu, jambalaya. I was kind of surprised too because I hadn't expected to find American food in a Kansai beach resort. We ordered, and sat around chatting till our food came.

What the meaning of 'sat around'? Why important does it have since the context clearly shows they are already seated?
Thanks.