It doesn't have to work like this. We could pay folks a proper wage, and let them also keep their tips. When I was a pizza delivery driver, I got paid an hourly

It doesn't have to work like this. We could pay folks a proper wage, and let them also keep their tips. When I was a pizza delivery driver, I got paid an hourly wage that started at minimum wage and increased after certain periods of work experience. In addition I got a delivery fee per order delivered during a shift, and on top of that I got to keep all tips given to me by the customers. So in practice, I was probably making double minimum wage on a moderately busy night. I was aghast that the in-restaurant wait staff got paid a significantly smaller hourly rate and were expected to make it up in tips.