I worked as a server while putting myself through college and raising 3 kids. Back then, we didn’t have to claim tips. The idea being, your $2 you leave as a tip, that’s in your pocket, was already taxed. My paycheck (if you can call it that) was about $30 a week after taxes, minimum wage was $1.32 an hour for servers. No one can live off that. Then the government stuck their hand out and said “we want your money”. We had to claim 8% of from the amount of our sales. 8% 0f $100 is $8. We were lucky to make $5 per $100.
Tips = To Insure Prompt Service
Tips are voluntary. Have skin in the game? I worked 50-60 hours a week, no vacations, no health benefits, nothing. Have you ever once in your life waited on tables? Everyone should do it once.
I worked at a country club for many years. The members didn’t tip money, it was automatic on their bills. Those tips were spread out among all the bartenders, waiters/waitresses, busboys working that shift. So they amounted to almost nothing. Then we were taxed for tips on our paltry income. If you tried to survive on that you were screwed. If it wasn’t for the parties we had every weekend we would have made almost nothing.