Should tipping be abolished in favor of higher base wages for service workers?

I have been serving for nine years, and my paycheck is a weather report. The federal tipped minimum wage has been $2.13 an hour since 1991, unchanged for over three decades, and everything else depends on the mood of strangers. DOL. Slow Tuesday in February? I make nothing. Research has repeatedly found tipping penalizes Black servers and women, who earn less for the same work because bias rides along with every discretionary dollar. A higher base wage means I can budget, get a car loan, and know what my month looks like. Customers say they tip to reward service, but what they actually reward is whoever matches their idea of friendly. Pay me a wage and let the tip be what it claims to be: optional.