[Chromozon]

https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/tipped.htm

Employers do not directly have to pay employees the minimum wage if the tips earned from the work add up to the minimum wage.

[mikeash]

The fun part about this is that it’s averraged over an entire pay period. That means you can end up working many hours for a marginal wage of almost nothing, as long as there are a few good hours mixed in.