When I use Apple Pay in the restaurants of USA waiter takes me to the kitchen to pay.
After that experience, I understand why the USA way of life is sometimes careless as compared to other developed countries.
It is like the song “This is America” by Childish Gambino can be used to describe USA society.
I haven't experienced that before, as it has never occurred to me to ask if a sit-down restaurant in the USA accepts tap-to-pay. More often than not, they do not. Someone else on the forum was making an argument about how chain restaurants commonly take tap-to-pay; I don't frequent chain restaurants.
But in any case, your experience is interesting. I have experienced something similar at retail stores, although not many. In a few stores, they would take me behind the counter for me to tap my Watch on their device. It's rather strange. I guess they just haven't set it up so that the device can either have a long enough cable or it can be accessed from the front of the counter.