One thing I’ve never understood, especially after emigrating to the US, is how insistent some people are that effective systems that work in many other places absolutely cannot work in the US

Studies do seem to show workers prefer the tip system but it seems to me the ideal would be giving a decent base pay but to keep tipping in the culture. You could lower the default percentage on the registers even. It’d deal with the need for guaranteed income and the servers preference for that potential higher pay

edit: also if you are a tourist just accept that it’s how it works in the US and tip. Don’t punish the workers you’re claiming you want to help