Since ours in the US is generally a percentage of the bill, people in expensive restaurants can make more. Do they work harder? Do they have fewer tables so less checks are tipping? 20% tips on 5 hundred dollar tables is $100 every 60-90 minutes, but shifts are usually only a few hours. So maybe $3-400 for a 4-5 hour dinner shift? In a diner you’d are probably half that per table but for more tables and faster turnover. What’s a good wage?
In nz its generally 22-32$ an hr. Shifts are 6-8hr 5-6 days a week.
For US I’d say whatever wage is required for them to make close to the median wage with 35-40 hr work.
I see median wage at $1200 per week (dam Americans are fucking rich) so id say they should be on $25-30 which puts them at around $1000 a week with 30-40hr work.
If we are just looking at median food/service wage its at $700 a week. So I’d say $17-$23 to reach that $700 a week with 30-40hr work is fair wages. A slight increase for most food/service roles compared with their current median. I’d expect it to be high in the expensive places like NY.