Left a good tip? Your server might still not get it.

The gratuity system long adopted by the restaurant industry has always been controversial. It allows for waiting staff to be paid as little as $2.13. But in today's climate of antipathy toward the industry's low-wage trend, calls for reforming the system have been getting louder, as is evident in a series of recent online commentaries.

In a Serious Eater NY post, Food Critic Carey Jones explores how a tip is spread among the different employees in many New York City establishments; a facet of the restaurant experience that patrons often overlook.