Usage of "we" as plural second-person

Question

I often hear people saying phrases of the type "How are we doing over here?" by servers at  restaurants, for example.  Obviously they mean "How are you (plural) doing?"  Where does this type of usage of "we" come from?  Is this pronoun misuse a regional thing?  Has it entered mainstream American English?  Am I wrong in thinking that it is incorrect?

mplungjan · Accepted Answer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We

The patronizing "we"
The patronizing we is used sometimes
in place of "you" to address a second
party, hinting a facetious assurance
that the one asked is not alone in his
situation, that "I am with you, we are
in this together". A doctor may ask a
patient: And how are we feeling today?
This usage is emotionally non-neutral
and usually bears a condescending,
ironic, praising, or some other
flavor, depending on intonation:
"Aren't we looking cute?"

Usage of "we" as plural second-person

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