Tipped employees are required to be paid minimum wage if their tips don’t equal 7.25/hr. Their employer is federally mandated to make up the difference.
Having said that, most tipped employees are doing much, much better…which is why they aren’t clamoring to go wash dishes in the back.
But we're seeing this in the US, between covid restaurant layoffs and closures; Tipped dining service is struggling to recruit.