Why do restaurants pay less than minimum wage to the wait staff?

Question

Why do restaurants pay less than minimum wage to the wait staff?

Answer 1

because they get tips

Answer 2

tips

Answer 3

The wait staff makes there money on there tips!

Answer 4

Actually, $2.13 is the minimum wage for wait staff. It's already been figured that most pay comes from tips. Restaurants where I've worked keep a running total of my sales for the day and my taxes were calculated based on sales. Social security, etc. were taken from my wage check. I still had to pay my taxes on my tips.

Trust me, it's much better to run your butt off at the front of the house, than the back. I could avg. $20 bucks an hour on a bad day, after I tipped the kitchen guys. If I was working for $7 an hour, I wouldn't have been able to put gas in my car.

Answer 5

i get min wage plus tips and they tax our paychecks on how much we sell, that's in cali

Answer 6

because they make their money on tips, restaurants have to staff alot of people, tips are also a good incentive to work hard so you make more, instead of a steady rate

Answer 7

Because most restaurants don't make a high profit margin and they are not able to pay them a proper wage... Then you add in the concept of "Tips" and they have even more deluded 'reasons' to not pay...

Then the restaurants that are doing well and CAN afford to pay their staff a living wage see 99% of the rest of the restaurants paying their staff diddly-squat and so they don't feel the NEED to pay them if they can get away with what 'everyone else' is doing.

It is sad... At least in Cali it is law that it is MINIMUM WAGE PLUS TIPS and not just half of minimum wage plus tips.

Answer 8

because u seat u self then them seating u and them seating u is nicer and better and so yah

Answer 9

because the wait staff gets tips

Answer 10

They make ALOT of money off of tips.

Answer 11

they're cheap b******s.

Answer 12

Because the waiters get tips.  I waitressed in college and often made $100 a night.  I enjoyed having all that cash at hand.  I just didn't care for rolling all those quarters!

Answer 13

Waiters and waitresses have a different minimum wage scale.  The government knows that they are making tips so they balance out the paycheck value and what they somehow calculate would be the minimum they'd get in tips.    I wish everyone knew that wait staff work basically for tips and to tip well.  :)