I am sorry, but I really cannot see why is it so stressful. You go to the table, you take an order, write it downs, bring to the kitchen. Bring the drinks. When order is ready, bring it. Check on the table each 10-15 minutes to see if anything else is needed. If you have 3-5 tables, it is pretty simple (not more demanding than working a cash at Walmart). So, even if your official wage is zero, a $5 per table is more than enough. Of cause, if you have to serve 10 tables at a time, it become more complicated, but the pay is also more. Given a moderate $150 bill from a table (and an average table size of 3 people), an easy 4-table serving job with 18% tip gives $108 per hour. Let's say each waiter gives $5 per hour to bus boy (bus boy covers twice as many tables, so, he gets his minimal wage) and $5 to cook (although cocks get decent wage to begin with), it leaves the server with $98 per hour of easy job. If you have more tables, the job is harder but the pay is larger. Do you need to give up more of your tips to cooks and bus boys? Well, do not do it - there is no law you have to. Am I missing something? Where is the stress? to "deal" with customers (i.e., to take their order or listen to complaints?). There is a manager to deal with complaints. Finish at 2am? Well, it is a night job, like a bus driver. Teh truth is, waiters make at least $50 per hour with tips and they do not want to have an European "fair wage" system with $18/hour wage and no tips.
Another one who has never actually done the job.
Your numbers are so far off I don't know where to begin.
Lets try.
First you are assuming a one hour turn over time on a table. And that is just plain wrong. More likely 1 1/2 for average. Add half an hour if it's women. If it's three women you've lost the table for the night( that's the spouse bitch/ breakup #). Remember there is the actual time, the clean reset time, wasted time as another table is found, beeped for, reseated, coats etc off, settled etc.
Average bill of $150? Here is a number we use. Average check. It means how much each person at a table spends average. It's about 40 bucks right now. So while you are correct in your assumption for a table of four you are not for a table of three or two. And you will even out about half "deuces" and half larger.
Tip pool is more than you suggest. In many cases 5% of SALES. To hostess, busser, cooks, bartenders and managers. Just for fyi. And you pay that no matter what the tip was.
Basically when I did this, and I say with no small hubris any floor I was on I was a top five server this is what I made.
About 25-30 per hour in tips. And I was a better turn and burn guy than anyone and had the product knowledge to up sell. My average check at that time was about 30 bucks( I projected up for the above 40 per as I'm out now).
Stress? Yep. Busy restaurant, lots of assholes, can't fight back at all against unreasonable people, management posting numbers and sections dependent on sales. I can give you a hundred reasons more but unless you've done it you just can't get it.
And I never "broke down". But man did I see some. Cripes I was the go to guy to salvage tables for restaurants and sections when it happened.
There is a reason why people in the industry are top five in stress levels and alcoholism. And these are consistant in study after study.
Btw. Serving TEN tables?. Lol. Maybe cocktailers or some cheap ass diner for breakfast. But I've had to do it. It isn't pretty.