This is a year old link to a discussion forum of lower quality than HN. This is a fun topic for sure, but there’s got to be a better way to start it than linking to a random old post on Reddit.
The solution is obvious, if you've ever worked a job in the service industries: make it illegal to pay these workers below minimum wage. I realized tipping was bullshit once you had to report it as taxed income, it's a uniquely pro-business practice for a country that prides itself on freedom of transaction so much. But no, because tipped minimum wage has to be calculated it all goes through the system.