Michigan server who got $10,000 tip says she was fired in ensuing dispute

St. Widge said

I guess the kitchen does deserve part of tips, but part of the problem is that restaurant owners in the U.S. has tricked us all into paying a large part of the salary of wait staff. While it's technically a "tip", wait staff depend on tips to actually make any kind of money since their base hourly salary is way below minimum wage in all but very nice restaurants. On the other hand, the kitchen is at least getting minimum wage and probably more depending on skill. But, I'll confess that's it's been 20 plus years since I waited tables so maybe it has changed.

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In the summer of my freshman year of college I worked both in the kitchen then as a server. In the kitchen we were paid a higher hourly wage, but of course got tips as a server. This was 1980, but I figured my average hourly wage as a server to be $9-10 per hour vs $3.50 per hour in the kitchen. Guess where I was happier?

The entire tip culture is screwed. It is indeed corporate America expecting the population as a whole to subsidize its workers via tips.

edit: My son was a server/barback the last three summers. I'm glad to hear the phrase "in the weeds" is still used to mean you're behind. I asked Carter how his shift was and he said "In the weeds all night, but tips were good!"