this post was submitted on 12 May 2025
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First of all, it's usually not in their control how fast the food comes out, that's up to the kitchen staff. Second, it's not your business whether they make a living wage. I've been friends with many people working in the industry, and I even dated one for a while, and I came to the conclusion that there's a certain type of personality who is cut out for the job, and they tend to do quite well for themselves (often raking in several hundreds of dollars in tips PER DAY).
As for those who aren't, it's better for them to fail fast so they can move on to something else that they're better at, instead of continuing to work a job they hate just because it pays the bills. It's the same with salespeople, who also usually make a meager salary (sometimes none at all) and only get paid on commission when they make a sale. Some people thrive on this sort of challenge, others don't. Sure, my girlfriend would still complain when she went above and beyond for a table and still ended up without a tip for reasons entirely out of her control, but it didn't happen all that often.
Of course, all the servers who are barely making enough to get by just aren't good enough at their jobs. Got it.
A lot of people wait tables just for temporary income while they're pursing other career paths (such as college, acting, writing, etc.), in which case, making just enough to get by isn't a huge issue, and it can even motivate you to work harder on your actual goal.
Most servers I've met who where doing it full-time actually seemed to genuinely enjoy their job and were very good at it, and rarely complained about not making enough. Sure, they'd get stiffed on tips every now and then just like everyone else, but they had a surprisingly high amount of positive stories about very generous tippers that more than made up for the difference.
But like I said, there's a certain type of personality they all had in common: they were generally above average in attractiveness, loved dressing up, and genuinely enjoyed pleasing people, making smalltalk, etc. People like that seem to do quite well for themselves, and they usually have no problem getting promoted, or finding a job at a more prestigious restaurant (where the tips are usually much better).
All of that can still be true without depending on tips. Those successful servers you mention would be successful in either system.