I hear you, but your solution sounds defeatist. Like there's nothing that can be done.

  > tips paid by customers are effectively subsidizing the employer out of paying minimum wage.

Not effectively, literally. That is what a credit is.

But I'm making sure that the conversation is clear that anyone not making minimum wage is suffering from wage theft. We have to identify the right problem if we want to fix it.

  > As a customer, I would much rather know that the employer is paying the full fair minimum wage regardless

I also like this idea. I don't think there should be a wage credit. It is helpful to reducing wage theft. While I would, personally, get rid of credits I don't think I'd get rid of tipping all together. Certainly at least not until there's a better minimum wage rate.

  >  I don't want to be paying a part of the employee's wage that the employer would otherwise be paying.

You're always doing this. Either your money goes directly to the employee or is going to the employee through the intermediary of the employer. In the case you are not directly paying the employee you're paying the employer.