This is what isn't computing for me. An average of $25/hour in most parts of the country is well above the "living wage" so many are complaining about. We went to a small Mexican joint Saturday night. I can't remember for sure but I think the tip was around $18 (we had a couple margaritas), and we were there for just over an hour. The restaurant seemed well staffed so not sure how many tables our server had. But even if she only had 3, it's very likely she made $50/hour that night in tips at least from 5-9 pm. I realize that Wednesday night might not be as lucrative, but if you can average even $25/hour, that's not bad. It's becoming clearer to me that a "living wage" won't solve the problem, in fact it may make the shortage worse if servers feel they're taking a pay cut. I'd love to see a move to a non-tipping experience at restaurants, but that may not be practical given how much servers make in tips. Not to mention that many don't claim 100% on taxes...