milwaukee pet peeve

We lived in New York for 8 years. There, people on the street do not make eye contact but waiters always do. Here it is the opposite. Strangers greet you, but waiters in many "fine" restaurants rush around with downcast eyes. The other day at Pacific Rim we waited at the bar for 10 minutes for our table. Although they were only moderately busy, the tenders were preoccupied with washing glasses and god knows what else. Seated, we thought it might be easier to get some cocktails but no. After another 10 minutes I felt like raising my hand or actually walking over to the waiter's staition. We were, like, staring at everyone in a uniform!! And honestly, we're perfectly normal looking people! Finally we said a rather loud "excuse me but could we order some drinks" to one of the staff. We got them but no other service attempts (like menus or bread) for another 10 minutes. When the waitress finally materialized, I looked rather pointedly at my watch, but there was no hint of an aknowlegdement of the wait. I couldn't bring myself to leave a subpar tip. Am I just a wuss? Any advice?