By law they have to make up the difference under the FLSA and virtually every tip worker makes more than minimum wage combined. My mom worked as a Carhop for sonic for around 20 years at 6+ locations in different cities and purposely never wanted to become a night manager because everyone except the GM made less money on average. My cousin during the summer was a waiter and made often $100+ a day in just tips years ago and my friend worked at Dominos and made the same often in a nights work. My mom was many months making close or more than my dad who was a skilled laborer and AC/Welding/Pool certified and they all made far more than the cooks at the same restaurants. She would on average earn more than minimum wage just in tips at every location even on bad nights. She also treated the money as less valuable as her small paycheck and often brought food home and blew threw her tips instead of treating it equal like her paycheck money. She devalued it and bought stuff she wouldn’t normally buy if it was her check.