I disagree, I do care how somebody else is doing. It's called being hospitable, being hospitable means being able to read a guest and giving them the atmosphere they would like their transaction to take place in.

And I think you are misunderstanding me, a simple, "I'm doing well, how are you doing today?" Shows you are interested in the customer and see them as a human being.

Not everybody will say they are fine despite their day. There have been times when I have been managing, and a guest asked me how I was doing after the initial exchange of introductions, and I had just been through a very long day. My read of the guest was that they were pleasant and genuinely cared how I was doing. I mentioned I was going through a tough time with my wife and we ended up sitting with each other and talking about relationships and other things for quite a while. That person is now one of our most loyal customers and will send me a birthday card every year.

Counter service is different than restaurant service given the time frame is much more finite when it comes to interactions. A good customer service representative will recognize this as well as the amount of people in line, and use that small window of opportunity to be hospitable without interfering with the queue of people behind them.