People do make the argument that you should tip generously because they're poorly paid.

Plus all studies done on tipping have disputed this. Tips don't depend on the quality of service but rather on how attractive and flirty the waitress is.

>That's not the logic behind the tipping system. It's, "tipping incentives employees to perform well because they'll make more money for doing a better job".

>It doesn't work that way either, but that's the rationale.

Indeed. The on the ground reality is that tipping does not serve this purpose. I don't know if it ever did, to be frank. Studies[0] generally show little to no correlation between performance and amount tipped.

And the reality is that tipping is the reason invoked in many state laws for paying restaurant workers less than minimum wage. Tipping is the reason they get paid poorly, and I always find it problematic that people invoke tipping as a way to help people, when it is the cause of their low wages. In those states, tipping is a big win for the restaurant owner. The customer pays more money out of his/her pocket, and the waiter often does not get much money.

Unlike others, though, I do not consider this wage theft (even at a moral level). We don't tip for many other services that we receive, and the problem of how those workers are compensated doesn't cross our mind. Why do we insist that tipping some category of workers has a moral component whereas others do not? Fixing those laws will be a challenge as long as tipping is commonplace.

[0] Example: https://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?arti...

(Taking off my pink hat)

(Yes, I do contribute to their poor wages by tipping. Have to conform somewhat to society!)

From what I understand of US history, tipping was introduced when hotels and restaurants lost money because of the prohibition, as a way to supplement wages.

So it sounds like it is absolutely used as a bad way to supplement wages.

I agree with you that tipping is a consequence of the system but I would argue the actual logic behind tippipng is that it allows employers to pay their employees less. Per federal law, tips can be used by an employer to satisfy the difference between the actual paid wage and the federal minimum. I would be very surprised if it was a waiters lobbying group pushing for this type of legislation. Several studies have also shown that there is very little relation between the quality of service provided and the amount of the tip.

Tipping really is a method for the employer to hold onto as much money as possible at the expense of staff.

As with many things in a America tipping started as a good idea, it was then taken too far and turned into a rather draconian setup where everybody is caught in a system you can't get out of.