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I'm just wondering where I said that I like or agree with the system Carl. If I were in hospitality - which I've never been - then I think that I'd prefer a fixed wage too. At least I could bank on it. What I'm saying is that from living in the USA or a number of years both on the East and West coasts, my observations were that the workers themselves are pretty OK with the system in general. They know that they can get more than the fixed amount if they please the customer. Note I said "please", not just work harder. Note that tips over there are RARELY IF EVER not paid by a customer. It's the foreigners who don't know the system that are the usual culprits - hence stories like the one here. I don't know of any American I met that didn't pay the tip willingly - even if they didn't pay more than expected. You just don't not pay! There's very little risk of not getting your expected tips for a nights work.
I actually had a friend over there who was putting herself though uni at Harvard and worked in a classy restaurant to help. She would have, every few of weeks, a higher than normal set of bills to pay. All she needed to do was to put on the charm and she'd cover the bills in extra tips over a couple of nights. It worked for her.
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