<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by fastflyer:
Bartenders and waiters alone receive a sub-minimum wage. Because of that fact, I support the custom of the 15% tip on food service and a customary drinks tip to the bar ($1 per drink is customary in New England).</font>
The situation is a bit worse than that (well, worse if you've ever been employed as waitstaff
). Anyone who is classified as a
tipped employee can be paid as little as $2.13/hr. The U.S. Department of Labor has a brief explanation on
this page.