Originally Posted by
VidaNaPraia
$2.50 or so per hour ... in southern CA
Nobody is legally making $2.50 an hour in California.
http://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_minimumwage.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipped..._United_States
Come to think of it, nobody is legally making $2.50 anywhere in the country.
Just say that tips are customary.
Otherwise there are no sound reasons behind the practice. It is presumptuous to suggest that anyone who can afford X should also afford Y. It is unethical to guilt trip ("...need tips to live...") customers into tipping.