Tipping Is Part Of The Problem

It really annoys me when people talk about tipping like its a legitimate practice. In Rochester there's a particularly popular diner named Charlie Brown's. Mr. Brown, in his infinite wisdom, has placed a message on the back of his menu to the effect that he expects you to tip his waitstaff, ostensibly because he's concerned with their well-being. Uhuh... right.

Mr. Brown, if you're so concerned with their well-being, why don't you fucking pay them a living wage? The whole practice of tipping isn't beneficial to restaurant waitstaff; its beneficial to the restaurant owner instead. Because the staff receives tips restaurateurs are legally obliged to pay them only $2.65/hr (or thereabouts, depending on the locale). This keeps their fixed costs low, allowing them to serve huge meals at bargain prices. I believe there's also a tax benefit, since waitstaff are solely responsible for declaring and paying taxes on their tips. Meanwhile you, the restaurant patron, are expected to pay an additional %15-%20 on top of your bill for the maintenance of the waitstaff.

Why do otherwise progressive people fail to see that by buying into the practice of tipping their actually perpetuating a system thats unfair to food service workers? Get rid of tips, and treat restaurant waitstaff like any other profession.