That's how you should do it in your restaurant.
No kidding. Good luck getting someone off their ass for the hope of 5% - regardless of base pay.
Anyone working hard for tips or commissions always has the hope of basically unlimited pay - it’s in your hands. Hourly wages alone can’t provide that and can stifle hustle.
I do think it sucks that a restaurant assumes I will pay their workers. They certainly can do so, but I mention it to them from time to time that it makes me less pleased eating out knowing how little they compensate their workers.
Waiters and Waitresses are not strippers who should be charged for use of the pole.
On tipping, I’m generally a large tipper. It does bother me that two waiters provide me the same service, but due to historical convention the one who serves me a $30 meal gets twice what the guy does who serves me a $15 meal.
However, I know that this is the market. The waitstaff train and when they are good enough, they look to move to the more expensive restaurants, so theoretically you get much better service there as they have the “best”. Don’t generally see it though when I’m served, but sometimes. Certainly you see the difference between a fine restaurant and the guy behind the counter at McDonalds.
I’ve got nieces and nephews who have done the waiter bit, and they said on many days they would make less than they would have behind the counter at McDonalds.