> Why don't restaurant owners increase the food prices and pay servers a fair wage? A lot of good waiters make more with tips. A "fair wage" from the restauran

> Why don't restaurant owners increase the food prices and pay servers a fair wage? A lot of good waiters make more with tips. A "fair wage" from the restaurant owner's perspective would be a bit less than how much they pay a line cooks (~$14/hr). A waiter at a semi-popular restaurant can make much more than this because the customer doesn't know fair value of their work and usually overcompensates. Waiters can also cheat on taxes a bit when people tip in cash.