Research shows that tipping in a restaurant has little to no effect on service. What tipping does do is enable restaurateurs to pay less than the federal minimum wage to servers and depend on customers to make up the difference between servers' salaries and the minimum wage. The U.S. federal minimum wage for servers is $2.13 per hour. Although minimum wage varies from state to state, it is safe to say that customers are paying the lion's share of servers' salaries. This practice leads to resentment on the part of customers, and it devalues servers. It's time to abolish tipping and pay employees a living wage. The result may well be happy servers who provide excellent service to grateful customers. Which of the following is evidence the writer provides to support the main argument?
A. Customers are grateful for excellent service.
B. Servers do not provide good service because of their low pay.
C. The minimum wage varies from state to state.
D. Customers pay a large percentage of servers' salaries
The U.S. federal minimum wage for servers is $2.13 per hour. The author uses this evidence to support the main argument that servers are not paid a living wage.
The passage discusses how tipping allows restaurateurs to pay servers less than the federal minimum wage and relies on customers to compensate for the difference. This point is aligned with the writer's argument that tipping perpetuates a system where customers contribute a substantial portion of servers' income, leading to the need for abolishing tipping and ensuring employees receive a living wage.
Therefore, the Correct Answer is D.