There are a couple of issues in the simple question: 'Can you call a cab for me?'

First, as others have raised, for security personnel, even if sitting behind a desk may not be there to call taxis, but rather to observe what is happening around them and ensure that nothing untoward happens. They may also be there to help you contact your business partner upstairs, but that doesn't mean they should call you a taxi, arrange for a shoe shine, or any other services you require. They may not even have a telephone which has an outside line. I know that the security staff at my building's front desks are there for security. They might be able to give you advice, but it would not be expected to make calls for people, even to taxi companies. That said, my building is in the center of a large cities, and assuming the weather isn't a disaster, it wouldn't be hard to flag a taxi on the street. For calling a taxi, etc. you would be expected to ask the admin staff of the person you are visiting.


Second, if you really are in a suburban American location, the front desk receptionist may really not have any idea how to deal with this thing called a taxi. They drive to work. Everyone they know drives to work. The guy who broke his leg - his wife drives him to work. The consultants and salesmen, they rent cars. You would be surprised how foreign the concept of a taxi can be in some parts of the US. So, their shock may not have been that you asked them for something, but rather that you asked them for something so foreign to their experience.