What a huge leap:

“That’s your waitron units and barkeeps folks”

Excuse me, but approximately 99% of “food prep and service jobs” are not bartending & waiting positions. This is an incredibly broad sector of the workforce, SERVING (the public, customers or clients) in the private sector alone encompasses call center work, domestic work, groundskeeping labor, custodial, janitorial, cleaning services, hotel work, laundry, not to mention fast-food joints U.S.A. -among other things that do not garner tips. Think of how many workers fitting those categories you pass in your travels everyday, percentage wise, compared to how many waitresses/bartenders.

you never heard of the service sector, the service industry?:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_Sector

And fwiw, I wouldn’t assume that ‘special’ legal lower wage minimum for employers guaranteeing compensatory tips has been included in the study on minimum wage, or that if it has figures haven’t been adjusted for tips.

Also fwiw, as a former bartender you would know that part of the ‘deal’ with being in that special category in which employers get away with paying you a special tiny minimum wage, is you’re supposed to pay a 15% tax I believe it is, on your tips, and that ‘special’ hourly wage does not fly well far as credit and student/home/car/biz loan apps are concerned.

The recent Levitt paper shows that unsuccessful ones (ie, street prostitutes in Chicago) are making $25-$40 an hour, a great deal higher than minimum wage. I beleive that average hourly wage (median I think) is around $14 an hour…..