Just a quick reminder that servers do NOT make regular minimum wage, but rather a lesser “cash minimum wage”. In Illinois, for example, if someone is expected to make at least $20 per MONTH in tips, the cash wage is only $4.95/hour, and at least at most sit-down restaurants a percentage will be assessed against them for bartenders, busboys, and the IRS based on what they SELL, not what they actually earn in tips.
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Depends where you are, of course. In California, minimum wage is $11.00 an hour ($10.50 per hour if the company has fewer than 26 employees) regardless if you get tips, and if you do get tips, those don’t count toward the minimum.
https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_minimumwage.htm
(See FAQ #5)
C’mon, Illinois, what the hell?
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Which is how it should be.
I could start my own thread just to rant about this, but people forget that “gratuity” is related to the French “gratuit”, which means “free”.
Tips are not supposed to be obligatory, but when waitstaff make less than minimum wage (or even just minimum wage), they become so.
So waitstaff put up with absolute nonsense so as not to lose tips, and diners have to be practically set on fire by the server to not leave a tip (assuming they aren’t jerks, which is a whole other rant).
It’s a dodgy, ridiculous system which ultimately helps no-one.
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If I only could have, back in the day…
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