There’s been a rumor floating around the internet for some time that Oprah Winfrey once said, referring to the depressed state of the economy, that “It’s okay to tip 10%.” After receiving countless emails on this subject I thought I’d put this matter to rest. Oprah never said that! In fact a spokesman from Harpo Productions, Dan Holbroooke, had this to say.

“She did recently feature the founder of the blog ‘Waiter Rant’ on her show to discuss the idea that tipping less than 15 percent is considered rude.”

I’l take that as a ironclad refutation! And If you don’t believe me scour the internet. You won’t find any legitimate record of her saying those words. Nothing in print, audio or video. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero. Now Oprah is more than capable of  taking care of herself and doesn’t need me to defend her – but I’m sick of getting all those emails. She never said it’s okay to tip 10%! Got it? Case closed. To use the words of Chris Crocker – “Just leave her alone!”

But if you want to talk about cheapskate customers using the state of the economy as an excuse to tip less than 15-20%, that’s another story! Have you waiters in the trenches noticed a drop in tip percentages? Or are people just ordering less expensive food and drink which result in lower check totals and tips? Rage on in the comments section.

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