No, one would not normally acknowledge other people in a queue while waiting for a long time, not even with the slightest of pleasantries. (In any event, the very notion of "waiting to be seated" at a restaurant sounds rather foreign to these shores, though I know it is common in the USA.)

As for asking people for directions, there is a strong social pressure towards trying to solve things on your own instead of talking to random local people, and today everyone has smartphones with map apps.

The OP, however, was talking about supposedly being able to meet new friends and form bonds through public spaces, and that goes beyond the "saying a few pleasantries and then going about your day" that you mention. If your expectations do not necessarily apply to other countries, obviously his were completely unrealistic.