Just some industry averages. But of course IRL it varies a LOT.
Post your data sources.
A 2018 article from the National Employment Law Project reported that approximately 58.5% of the pay of wait staff came from tips.
So, just over half.
Oh, it’s a huge issue from every direction.
Some customers like it because of the power trip.
A lot of restaurant managers and owners like it because they can keep prices artificially low, because part of their wages skip the business and go directly from customer to employee. It also provides a manipulation tool for the less ethical management, by giving shifts or sections with higher sales to preferred employees.
A lot of tipped employees like it for several reasons. They get money every shift, instead of every two weeks. Some like they have some untaxable income via underreporting, though that hurts in the long run. And the narcissists like yours truly like the money as evidence they’re better than their coworkers.