'Is this even legal': Job advertisement for server in USA the sparks international debate online over outrageously low wage

The thought of being paid less than the legal minimum wage sounds outrageous to some people, especially to those outside of the US, but that's just how the bizarre nature of the US tipping culture works.

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Posted by Brad Dickson

For those not aware, the United States has a separate Federal minimum wage of $2.13 for tipped jobs that stands apart from the otherwise minimum of $7.25 — which itself hasn't risen since 2009 and is currently at its lowest inflation-adjusted value since the mid-1950s.

The idea is that tipped workers make enough from tips to bump them up to at least the $7.25 — but this utterly fails to factor in the various nefarious ways that some employers handle employee tips, the stress and effects of inconsistent pay, and the plain and simple fact that it's really weird to have your customers directly paying your employee's wages.

I'm sure anyone who has visited the United States has found themselves utterly perplexed at the near cultural requirement for tipping — trying to make sure you get it right can be a stressful experience, especially when one considers all the stories of servers being overcome by tears after being shorted on a tip by an entitled table. Not only that, but the “minimum” tip has increased from the once tried and true rule of 15% and now reaches as high as 20-25%. When should we tip that? When shouldn't we? Should we ever just cross out the tip because of bad service?

Surely I'm not alone in my thinking that we should just skip the tip and let employers pay their own workers a living wage. Sure, raise your prices if you need to, but leaving workers at the mercy of rude and entitled guests needs to be a thing of the past, as does the egregious culture of adding 25% to the tail end of a bill.

When photos of this job advertisement made their way onto Reddit's r/mildlyinfurating sub, they sparked a viral debate over the advertised wage of $2.13. Those from outside the US were shocked, and servers weighed in to share their experiences.

Keep reading for the screenshots of the advertisement, as well as some of the reactions and discussions that took place. For more, check out this employer who threatened to confiscate employee tips if they used their cell phones.