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Summary

Tipping in U.S. restaurants has dropped to 19.3%, the lowest in six years, driven by frustration over rising menu prices and increased prompts for tips in non-traditional settings.

Only 38% of consumers tipped 20% or more in 2024, down from 56% in 2021, reflecting tighter budgets.

Diners are cutting back on outings, spending less, and tipping less. Some restaurants are adding service fees, further reducing tips.

Worker advocacy groups are pushing to eliminate the tipped-wage system, while the restaurant industry warns these shifts hurt business and employees.

Key cities like D.C. and Chicago are phasing in higher minimum wages for tipped workers.

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  • DarkNightoftheSoulEnglish
    1·
    3 hours ago

    I actually don’t think this is a good argument, and I responded to something comparable to this line of reasoning elsewhere in the thread:

    Sure, legally the standard minimum wage applies. The notoriously insufficient even at the time of adoption $7.25/hr minimum wage. If you can get the notoriously understaffed DOL to take a serious look at your case. If you can produce enough evidence. If, per federal minimum wage law, the entire week’s pay- not per day, not per hour, per week- was less than that minimum wage per hour. If, if, if, then yes, the employer is technically required to compensate for the lost wages up to but not more than the $7.25/hr federal minimum wage.

    In practice, wage theft is the largest and fastest-growing category of theft in the US.

    I’m gonna go ahead and vote you up anyway because I think you’re contributing to the conversation.

    • vrighter@discuss.tchncs.de
      2·
      3 hours ago

      then the fight should be to fix that. “Wages getting stolen” and “the minimum wage is too low” are two separate issues.

      • DarkNightoftheSoulEnglish
        1·
        3 hours ago

        Well, yes. But actually no. The difference between the actual value of the work and what is paid by the employer is retained by the employer. I assert that is wage theft by itself. A law increasing the federal minimum wage to living standards across the board, accounting for inflation and cola in different areas, would address both of those problems. It would account for both the types of wage theft I have already identified, and a few others, but Many more would remain unaddressed. Ultimately “wages getting stolen” is itself Many different issues.

        In my opinion.