I produce much more value as an employee on a busy day than when it’s dead, and without tips I’d make the same amount despite working much more.

You’re not selling your work, you’re selling your time. If you’re at the restaurant on a slow day, you’re not seeing your friends and family and you’re not using your time however you want to. If you’re spending the exact same amount of time at the restaurant on a slow day as on a busy day, you should take home the exact same amount of money and I’m having a hard time understanding why you would argue your employer’s case of paying you less under any circumstances. I think it’s a question of self-respect. Who gives a shit about “producing value” for someone else? You’re there, sacrificing your time, and that’s what you should get paid for. If your employer can’t efficiently use the time they employed you for, that’s their problem and never yours.

If a person doesn’t tip, their server doesn’t get tipped.

If that same person avoids giving business to restaurants that exploit the tip based system, the same server still doesn’t get tipped.

You’re not ending tipping culture by tipping, either. Just saying.

That’s true. On the other hand, if a server accepts my tip which helps their employer to keep underpaying them that gives me a negative feeling emotion.