I spent 3.5 days last week in HK and I was shocked by the lack of politeness

[SamuelRSmith]

I lived in HK for about 3 years total, left it about 3 weeks ago.

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For restaurants, there's no tipping. Everywhere has a base 10% service charge, whether the service is good or not. In many restaurants, the restaurant will keep the 10%, the waiter will not receive any of it (and it's not just the small locally-owned places, Outback has the same policy). No incentive to be nice.

Also, in HK, "eating out" isn't typically something that people do as a special occasion. Many people (including myself when I was there) eat 90-100% of their meals in restaurants. Dining in restaurants is cheaper than cooking at home, if you can even afford an apartment with a proper kitchen.

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For Taxis, again, no tipping. But, in addition to that, the cost for a cab driver is very, very high, while the prices are very low. As such, taxi drivers cannot afford to adhere to rules, or be polite. Waiting your turn could very well be the difference between making a profit on that drive, or making a loss.

If you want a better experience, you are free to use Uber, and the price increase will match that service improvement.