The purpose is presumably to be social with your group of people you're out with. There is almost zero social interaction in a typical waiter or waitress interaction, just false smiles and memorized verbal patty-cake. It has more in common with a TCP ACK than it does a genuine social interaction. If you think your waiter is socializing with you, you are mistaken.

> just false smiles and memorized verbal patty-cake.

You know that you're the second part of that social interaction and can veer off the memorized track?

Yes, and the barista who smiles at you does it because she likes you.

When you hold wait staff at your table because you want some bonding time with them you're basically forcing them to perform for you. This isn't a consensual social interaction and you aren't strangers on the street on equal footing. Just be polite and make your order and let them go on to the other million things they're doing.

It's meant to be a hospitality experience.

Paying a restaurant for them to pretend they're giving you hospitality is like ... Well I think we both know what exactly it's like.

What you get at a restaurant is not hospitality.