That’s because the UK has stronger wage protections than the US. Here the Federal minimum wage for “tipped positions,” which are their own special category, is only $2.13 per hour. The management literally expects you, the customer, to make up for their payroll shortfall.
Related fun fact: The reason the US has such a tipping culture at all is, as usual, the result of post-slavery racism when business owners flat out refused to actually pay any of their newly freed black employees, and instead demanded their customers to do it for them. For those positions, tips were the only way those people got paid.
So yes, US business owners would absolutely force their employees to work for no pay if they could get away with it.
Walican132@lemmy.today 5 days ago
I live in a state where our servers make state minimum wage. 16+ dollars an hour. They still ask for tips. So the fed minimum doesn’t really change anything in making up the payroll shortfall.