Historically, New York has only required a minimum wage of $5 for tipped workers, a wage that falls well below the State minimum wage floor of $8.75. The tipped wage is now set to increase up to $7.50 an hour on December 31st. New York City is pushing to have the wage for tipped workers in that area increased to $8.50 an hour. The city is waiting on permission for this proposition.
See "NY Governor's Administration to Raise Tipped Wage to $7.50", The New York Times, February 23, 2015