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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsthe EconomyEconomic policyMinimum WageLabor LawRestaurant IndustryOne Fair Wage•••Started 4mos agoActive 1 day ago

Should employers be required to pay servers the full minimum wage regardless of how much they make in tips?

Currently, federal law allows restaurants to pay staff as little as $2.13 an hour, assuming customers will cover the rest. This movement, often called 'One Fair Wage,' seeks to abolish that two-tier system. Proponents argue it stabilizes income and reduces sexual harassment, as workers feel less pressure to please rude customers. Opponents warn it will lead to higher menu prices, fewer jobs, and the end of lucrative tipping culture.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 5.5k America voters.

81%
Yes
19%
No
73%
Yes
13%
No
6%
Yes, relying on customers to pay staff wages is exploitative and outdated.
3%
No, this will skyrocket prices, kill small businesses, and replace servers with iPads.
2%
Yes, the $2.13 subminimum wage invites wage theft and forces staff to tolerate harassment.
3%
No, many servers prefer the current system because they earn far more than a fixed wage.

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 5.5k America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 5.5k America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BDXH46F from Virginia  answered…3wks3W

Abolish the wage system

 @odalismus  from California  answered…4wks4W

Yes, and abolish tipping altogether

 @BDTWXNM from South Carolina  answered…4wks4W

This should be kept at the county level and not the national or state level.

 @BDTQBJ4 from Colorado  answered…4wks4W

Yes. The minimum wage should be a living wage, and tipping should be denormalized.

 @BDTNGHD from California  answered…4wks4W

I think more research needs to be done on this and input gained from waitstaff.

 @BDQSRZR from Arizona  answered…1mo1MO

No, but raise the sub-minimum wage to half of the state level.

 @BDP2F73 from Oregon  answered…1mo1MO

Only if the servers are making less than a certain threshold from tips

 @BDMNGDX  from California  answered…1mo1MO

The minimum wage is stupid.

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About This Data

Based on 5.5k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should employers be required to pay servers the full minimum wage regardless of how much they make in tips?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 26, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/polls/5545234018

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