[gamblor956]

Note: in California, tipped staff receive minimum wage (or higher) before accounting for tips, so any tips they receive is in addition to their normal pay.

This is not the case in most of the U.S., where tips relieve the business of part of their obligation to pay wages.

[seanmcdirmid]

This was true in WA before it was true in CA. All west coast states (including Alaska) do not allow tips to go towards minimum wage. Throw in Minnesota, Montana, Nevada as the other states that do this.