How much did waiter/waitress get paid from employees/restaurants in the U.S. if not consider the tips from customers, like if we choose a random restaurant from a random town?

Question

If everyone only tips around 10%, will this prevent workers from making a living? Also, it seems people don’t tip guys in fast-food chain like KFC, BK, POPEYES, McDonald’s, etc. Does things work different over there?

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Answer 1

Never been a waiter, but did a valet job for a while once. Absolutely made a lot less than minimum wage. Things got so rough for me, I soaked into a depression, and it was quite a while before things started getting better.

That said, as a valet, you’re lucky if you get a gig at a country club. Rich people want to show off to their rich friends, so large bills come your way as tips. I, however, mostly worked clubs and weddings. People either spent their money on booze, or on flying out to the event, and would tip a couple of dollars on average. Add in that it takes a lot of staff to accommodate most of these events, once the tips are split you come home with an extra $20 to $40 in pocket. Hourly wage was $2.50. Jobs were and 5 to 8 hours often.