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Important note on my view: Employees first of all should earn a livable wage. Thank you to everyone working in the service industry

I disagree completely, and there's no such thing as a living wage, but moving on that's not the topic. 

Why is it that the owners of the service industry expects us consumers to pay for the wage of their own employee. Many countries around the world don’t have a tipping system in their service industry, and their service industry still survives. To me, tipping sounds like an excuse for these owners to pay their employees less.

Umm, but that's always the case. The price you pay is what pays all employees in all industries. You paying them in Tips merely removes the middle man of paying Corp who then pays employees. Also, when we pay the employee directly they can make MUCH more than what they would get as regular employees. Taking tips away would, in America, make many working class people MUCH poorer. You're pushing for this no tipping change also contributes to a decline of the "you must tip or your a peace of shit" social norm. Many countries around the world don't have wait staff as well paid as America either. And, again, either way you are paying them. What, you think the business will have to start paying 15$ an hour and not increase food prices? Not here. 

It saddens me that without tips, employees wouldn’t be able to survive. 

Ok, so why weaken the cultural norm of you must tip? Also, why try to make them poorer by leaving it in the hands of corporations how much they are paid. You get to directly decide how much they get paid for their time with you. If you think you're 2 hours with them is worth 50$ an hour... tip 100.
I always wonder to myself if people who are against tipping are only against it because it holds them accountable for their beliefs. Believing in a "living wage" but not tipping a "living wage" surely causes some cognitive dissonance. Not saying this is you, but I do wonder. 

I’m not against tipping for exemplary service, but again, we consumers should not have to pay for something the business owners should already be giving their employees.

That makes no sense. You are paying for the service. If I work for a hospital where does my pay come from? The hospital's money printer? No, it comes from the patients who used our services. The only thing tipping does is add a self centered middleman who wants a cut of the tip. 

My middle ground solution: Restaurants and bars should just increase everything by 15% and not accept tips. By raising prices, people no longer have to tip and employees can (hopefully) receive a livable wage.

So... what... so, wait. Lol, wah? So you already recognize that you are the ones paying the wage. Be it via a 15% price hike or a tip... you still pay it. What's the issue then? I genuinely don't understand.
It's a little complicated. In an ideal world, tipping would not have taken root in the US like it has. But this is where we are. And eliminating it has proven difficult.
On the employee end, many employees like servers don't want tipping to end as they make more from tips than they would a living wage with benefits. Many restaurants have tried this (again with a living wage and benefits) only to see employees protest and quit (see here or here). So that's one complication.
The other is that unless it happens all at once, restaurants get put at a competitive disadvantage. Customers would often see the higher upfront cost and be upset, even if no tip was required afterwards. Psychologically it can be different to order at one price point and then to add tip after the purchase is already complete. It breaks up the cost. So if you have a few restaurants with higher prices with no tips and others with lower prices and tips, customers would prefer the latter.
So it really does go beyond employers being greedy and more institutional inertia that can't change unless there's a critical mass. >

Thank you for the imperial data. 
As you said I agree and wish this were more of a simple cause and solution type of problem to have.
Maybe it does start first with the more well known brands that target those with higher incomes. Maybe a 10-15% won’t really matter to these types of customers. 
Note: I’m loving the responses and alternative views I’m seeingZ >

Just a friendly FYI. "Empirical" not "Imperial" >

Raising prices by 15% and eliminating tipping would not increase wages for servers
also I think your title is just wrong if u point out that tipping is fine if the costumer wants to. Perhaps would be better to say "tipping culture" >

I would disagree on your first point: if there were no tipping allowed and prices increased without wage increase, I feel as those these jobs would be insanely difficult to fill. 
Regarding your second point: Aren’t tipping and “tipping culture” the same? Hmmm maybe a better title would be “Mandatory tipping”. >

That is assuming the 15% increase goes to workers >

They would need to pay them as much as other jobs pay or the workers would go there instead >

Sure, I am just saying it would actually decrease their wages >

My server friends make about 75 dollars an hour after tips. If you think that restaurants would pay them that much hourly, there's no way in hell that would happen. They'd be lucky to make half that. While some customers are stingy and willing to stiff you, it's true,  the majority of business owners will pay you the lowest possible wage. Servers generally make more in tips than they would otherwise. >


Servers generally make more in tips than they would otherwise.

This depends greatly on location and the economy.
My wife was a server in FL when she was in her late teens/early 20s.  There's no nice way to say this without sounding like an ass, but she wasn't only good at her job, she also has huge tits.  She crushed it at making tips and made more than she would have at a good hourly wage, just as you said.
But that can oftentimes be the exception.  It was a big city and there was money there, plus tourist seasons.
You're not taking into account a server that works in an Applebees in Youngstown, Ohio or some other random smaller or economically-depressed place (which is becoming more prevalent as time goes on).  Some folks, like your friends, are #winning.  Great for them.  Many servers out there are barely getting by.
Far more people would be helped by businesses being forced to pay their employees a suitable wage rather than the $2 an hour they're guaranteed.  Even those that would make less would be safeguarded against "bad nights" where you get people who tip poorly or not at all no matter how good the service is.
Overall, it would be a benefit for servers.  Just not your friends.  :P >

Excellent counter argument, and good anecdote evidence. 
Man Reddit is awesome for this kind of stuff (other people’s experiences) >

So tipping accomplishes two things
1) Makes the existing staff work harder. If you know that the better service you provide the bigger your tip. You are more likely to be attentive to the customer. You're going to want to learn the menu better. You're going to be fast and accurate.
2) Incentivizes talent to join the ranks. Someone who knows they can make a lot of money through tips. Is far more likely to go work at a place with tips.
Here's a crude example. A really hot chick can make good $ with tips. The likely hood of that really hot chick working there without tips is much smaller. Thus it's both good for the laborer and the business. The business gets a better quality staff. The staff gets paid more for their "talent". >

Thank you for your thorough response.
I 100% agree with you that a monetary incentive is powerful but I feel as though you’d equally incentive someone with a good stable hourly wage to do his or her job properly (assuming the job is in high demand) >

Just curious, have you ever worked as a server or in any other type of job that accepts tips? I think 99% of the time I hear this argument, it's from someone who never has. 
Totally agree that restaurants should pay a living wage. It's crazy that in so many US states the tipped minimum wage is like $2. I have a bit of a different perspective, I've only ever worked as a server in Canada, where the minimum wage applies to all workers, whether they're making tips or not. 
I'll tell you that for me personally, being a server is one of the most difficult minimum wage jobs I've personally experienced. There would be a sharp drop off in the number of servers willings to work as servers if they were just paid minimum wage without tips. In that case, I might as well go work in the mall somewhere, or as a cashier, or whatever. Many minimum wage jobs are easier than spending 9 hour shifts literally running off your feet and remembering a million specific guest orders all at once, all while maintaining your "customer service persona" which is very mentally draining.
I'm also a bit confused by your suggestion that instead of tips, the restaurant just raise prices by 15%. Wouldn't that equate to you spending the same amount of money as a customer either way? >

Oh 100% I agree with you that being a server or being in the service industry is extremely difficult.
So I worked as a bar back and then for a hospitality tech company where we would on a monthly basis work alongside our users to truly understand their experiences.
From my experiences, I concluded a stable strong hourly wage would be better (hence my middle ground solution) >

Not to be pedantic, but did you ever work for tips then? I've personally never come across a server or former server who is in favour of what you're suggesting, not to say they don't exist. But if servers aren't in favour of ditching tips, obviously the restaurant owners aren't in favour of it, and you're suggesting that prices for the customer will essentially stay the same (if the food prices are raised by 15% instead of tips) then who is benefitting really? >

Yup but mined you this was a college job so I don’t have experience like some redditers have mentioned of being “high end”. 
Some nights I would make a little some I would make more. 
Maybe I’m just someone who wants to know for sure what I’m going to make than hoping for an extremely profitable weekend. >

Stability is definitely a big bonus for many people, I totally agree. If I was a parent or was living on a tight budget and worried about making rent, I would 100% rather have a predictable income rather than it fluctuating based on a bunch of factors I sometimes can't control.
But there's a big difference between saying "I think a lot of servers would benefit from a higher, but stable wage so some restaurants should do that" and "tipping shouldn't exist". >

If I use this argument again, ill definitely redefine what I mean using your words. Thank you >

Tipping isn't tipping anymore >

I think that the primary idea behind tipping is that it encourages the waiter to hustle. >

Was going to comment and say I’ve predominately experienced the this >

For a restaurant to pay their employees good wages the prices of food would go up substantially. Either way, you have to pay to have a facilitated dining experience. You literally want to be served. You can pay for the service overall upfront or tip to your discretion. 
If you don’t want to tip, then order your food to-go or cook at home >

Correct, but here is where I diverge. I’m paying the restaurant to provide me an experience. The restaurant therefore should pay its employees a fair share since they are providing the experience. I shouldn’t have to give extra when the restaurant should already be doing so >

As long as you accept that if that were to happen, you would be leaving your favorite restaurant paying $100 instead of $70-$80. The money they get to pay their employees a livable wage will come from the amount customers will have to spend. There’s no way around it >

I’m sorry could you rephrase what you said? ( I’m not trying to be divisive or sarcastic, I’m just having a hard time understanding what you are saying) >

They are stating that customer prices would stay the same or be higher. >


My middle ground solution: Restaurants and bars should just increase everything by 15% and not accept tips. By raising prices, people no longer have to tip and employees can (hopefully) receive a livable wage.

Raising the wages that a business directly pay to employees also increases the amount of tax and insurance that business has to spend, so in order to raise wages 15% and keep profits the same a business would have to increase menu prices way more than 15%.
Moving to a higher wage system from a tipping system would cost customers more.
If a business is just meeting the average tipping wage, all above average performing waiters just got a pay cut.
Moving to a flat wage removes the connection between volume and earnings that is a base part of the tipping system. You now have to find other ways to motivate people to take shifts with wildly different amounts of customer volume.
Saturday nights and Tuesday afternoons, aren't similar shifts, and they should be compensated differently. >


Restaurants and bars should just increase everything by 15% and not accept tips. By raising prices, people no longer have to tip and employees can (hopefully) receive a livable wage.

Yes, there are massive problems with the principle of tipping. Yes, it is effectively passing off the responsibility of paying workers on the customer. However, restaurants simply could not (or would not) pay servers what they earn with tips. Servers are able to make much, much more than 15% on average compared to menu prices. 

By raising prices, people no longer have to tip and employees can (hopefully) receive a livable wage.

If you want to imagine what restaurants would pay servers hourly, you can look at what they pay their hourly staff right now. In pretty much any restaurant in the US, the kitchen staff is making $10-15 bucks an hour. In a decent restaurant, a competent server can easily average $25+ an hour with tips. Servers are not the one with the most dire "liveable wage" problem in the food industry right now. >


Why is it that the owners of the service industry expects us consumers to pay for the wage of their own employee.

It's a business. This is how all businesses work. Do you think they can just print money on the side to pay wages?