I don't know whether baristas get less and are expected to make it up in tips...from a quick Google, it would appear that Starbucks baristas at least make minimum wage (here's an article (http://blogs.payscale.com/ask_dr_salary/2006/12/wages_tips_bart.html) with a breakdown of a lot of US tipping service industries and average pay scales). But I do know that restaurant staff are paid below minimum wage (not those who work at fast food places, just those who work at full-service restaurants). Now, it does have the trade-off that you can actually make MORE than minimum wage if your customers like you and your service and so tip well (and especially if you work at a nice restaurant where the food is more expensive, and hence tips are theoretically larger), but the inverse is also true.