I have no disdain for the MW worker.
That is separate from my position on this issue.
If I go to a fast food restaurant or a 7/11, I'm not tipping. Because their pay model is based on the establishment paying them and incorporating that cost into the price of whatever product I'm purchasing.
Do you tip at Walmart...oh sorry, that's too plebeian for you...Do you tip at Whole Foods? If not, why not? They're working just the same as servers. But, then, their pay model isn't built on the tipping model. Even though they probably make less than your barista or the server at Applebees.
BTW, if the MW goes up to $15/hr, I know that cost will be baked into the groceries I buy at HEB. But, then it will ALSO be baked into the Applebees. So, now their model isn't the $2.31/hr tipping model. It's being paid by the restaurant. No need to for the customer to pay it now.
BTW, Applebees was only good for one thing, drinking beer late when I lived in Weatherford. Don't even know if we have one here and not anxious to find out.
Not trying to make a statement, just explaining my position on tipping.