Oprah,

There is no doubt that you are an influential person. The fact that you have stated on national television that it is acceptable to tip less than 15% due to the fact that the country is in a recession is not only a joke its an insult top EVERY person who works for tips. First of all if you are tipping 15% in 2009 something is wrong with you. The industry standard is actually 18%. You would think someone of your means would be aware of that. I am a restaurant manager and the fact that you would not only make the comment but advise others to tip poorly amazes me. I guess you are unaware of how many people in the country do not have cable television and are forced to watch your show. I guess you are also unaware of the fact that some people are in awe of you and for some reason people continue to worship you. It is a shame that you would ever make such a comment and not understand the results.. People that are in the service industry are not unlike anyone else. We have families and bills and responsibilities, and due to the president that you so openly supported we are also feeling the burn of the poor economy. We come to work every day and we rely on the TIPS that we are paid.. How dare you overlook that. I may be just one person, but I guarantee that I am not the only person you have offended by your mindless comment. I challenge you to wait tables for one day. I am sure that you are a custom to being handed everything on a silver platter, but for the rest of us people who have to do physical labor everyday its a joke that you would make such a comment. You really should retract that comment as it was thoughtless and flat out stupid.

Ashley

HOUSTON TEXAS

Although I do understand your plight, I think your anger (if it's that) is really misplaced. Regardless of what 'Oprah says' there are many people that do not feel the honorary obligation to tip when they eat out.

I'm one of those people that will only tip when i feel the service I received (hostess-waitstaff-cashier-whoever) is deserving of having a little extra gratuity. I will not normally tip any set amount (ie. 20% of the bill or 10%, etc) but what I feel is affordable on my own discretionary budget. The hospitality business is rough, but profitable, so I would say get angry at the corporations that strip their employees to the bare minimum and still expect staff morale to be full of joy when the doors open for dinner.

The customer is the lowest man on the totem pole ... and everyone seems to nickle and dime them however they can, while forgetting, discretionary income is just that ---- it's at MY discretion.

I am a part-time server, and I was told by a co-worker that Oprah actually said that in this economy people should continue to go out and dine, but should only tip 5%....well, that explained a lot of this weekend's tips I received and co-workers too. I could not believe the negligence of Oprah opening her mouth and stating that! I work seven days a week, and I am so angry that she would advise people to do such a thing! I work very hard to provide excellent service, and I keep glasses full, and I cannot for the life of me understand why she would speak about something SHE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT!

Until she has to work as a server, she should keep her mouth shut! And I hope that enough servers get together and ban her show and products.

This is the same situation she put herself in where she made the comments about beef...well, you would think that she would learn her lesson!

I am NO longer a fan of Oprah, as I didn't think she was that ignorant of a person! Shame on you!~

I heard recently from a coworker that Oprah had mentioned on her show that in order to save money in these hard economic times, you should tip less when you go out to eat. Now, I do take that with a grain of salt, as I did not hear Oprah say that, however, the rumor is going around and the service-industry is up in arms about it.

I have been working in the service industry for nine years, and have supported myself on the money that I make. I am going to school working on my bachelor's degree in finance, and the flexibility of a restaurant schedule allows me to do this. I do not own a home, my car is 12 years old, I pay rent, utilities, gas, and food just like everyone else. I have student loans for my education and a small savings account, which I am hoping to one day put toward a house. I do not have medical insurance, life insurance, or 401k.

Oprah is absolutely correct, these are hard economic times - on EVERYONE. Restaurant sales are down over last year, which means that fewer people are going out to eat as it is. However, one thing I KNOW people don't realize is that in almost every state servers are paid TWO DOLLARS PER HOUR. We are dependent upon the tips we receive from the people who come in to make ends meet. We understand the economy is tough - it's tough for us too. However, we aren't getting a paycheck to help us out. The tips we receive are not just a gratuity for service above and beyond, they are OUR TOTAL INCOME. Servers are required by the IRS to claim every penny earned in tips and to pay taxes on that, which pretty much takes care of the $2.13 hourly wage. Almost every server I know gets a "VOID" paycheck. Most restaurants require servers to "tip out" bartenders, bussers, food runners, hostesses, etc., which means that for every table we have, THREE TO SIX PERCENT of the BILL, not the TIP, the server never sees. So if we get stiffed, we wind up having to PAY for the privilege of waiting on that table.

Now, I'm not saying that if money is tight you shouldn't go out to eat. Just be mindful that it is tight for everyone, and if you truly feel you cannot afford to tip, go somewhere you are not expected to tip much, like fastfood, delis, or buffets.

I find it truly hard to believe that Oprah would make such an amazingly unintelligent, uninformed statement in her position. Whether or not that happened, people (including me!) are extremely angry about even the hint that she may have. No matter what started it, the damage has been done, and Oprah should do something to rectify this situation by clarifying or amending any statements she may have made.

I always tip what I can afford, sometimes it is 10% and sometimes it is a little more. But if the service is absolutely horrible then I don't tip at all, especially when the restaurant was not that busy.

I won't ever tip for bad service. I feel that if you were unhappy with a purchase from a retail store then you return the item, since you can't return the poor meal that was poor do to the poor service then the only thing you can do is not to leave a tip and never return to the restaurant.

I have never understood why tipping is expected. A tip is a bonus, a little extra for a job well done. If you really want to be upset with someone, take this anger out on your employer who doesn't pay you a decent wage.

I can't tell you the number of times I have received horrible service yet I'm sure that server expected a tip just the same. I typically tip 15-20% depending on the quality of the service, but I have on occasion tipped less for horrible service. I know that the servers aren't being paid well by their employer, so I feel I need to compensate for that, regardless of the service I receive. The question is, WHY? Why am I paying for poor service? Why aren't these employers paying their staff? It should not be by responsibility.

It's an archaic custom that needs to end. Employers, please pay your staff a proper wage, so the rest of us don't have to pay them for you.

Im hoping that maybe she was saying tip what u can .

Oprah, Everyone knows (or should know) that waiters get minimum wage plus tips to live. And everyone knows (or should know) that waiters also have to divide their tips with bus people, etc. The tipping standard in the industry for parties of 10 or more is 17 percent, period. My son is a waiter. Recently he waited on a table of 13 black female high school basketball players and their two coaches. The total tab came to in excess of $200. When it came time to pay, one of the young women came up to my son and told him that because Oprah said not to tip as much, they were only going to tip him what they could afford which was $2. Yep, only $2 on a large table where the bill totaled $200 and they tied up the table for two hours. Oh, by the way, they said the service was good and that they enjoyed their meals. They also said they had just come from playing a game, which explains why my son had to refill their drinks three to four times each. They also asked for multiple condiments on the side, each. One of the women asked for extra sour cream and butter no less than five separate times. To be told at the end of waiting on these people that Oprah said it was okay not to tip as much is no less than criminal. Waiting tables is my son's chosen profession. He's not going to school to become a brain surgeon. He's not working on his Master's. He's a waiter and a hard working average guy trying to make a living. He enjoys what he does but if someone like Oprah, who everyone listens to like the gospel, tells America that it's okay not to tip as much, then people are free to interpret "not as much" to their advantage; i.e., $2. I'm afraid my son is destined for the poor house and there will be less and less people waiting tables. Eventually, all restaurants except the very expensive ones, will become self-serve. My son's not cut out to go to college. He's cut out to be the best damn waiter on the planet, and I'm proud of him. I'm also afraid for him and for every other wait person out there who will no longer be able to pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads. By the way, we live in one of the most affluent counties in the U.S., Orange County, California. A county where every other car is a Mercedes and these same kids who tipped $2 were each holding Ipods and expensive cell phones. People wonder why adult kids have to come home to live, or worse, never want to leave home at all? This is certainly one reason why. That creepy sense of entitlement that television and advertisers have instilled in them will be the downfall of us all. Oprah, if you can't solve a problem, you should just shut your mouth. Ignorance is not a defense. You're a smart woman. I'm ashamed of you. You should know better. People listen to you. Remember the whole hamburger fiasco? Shut your mouth if you can't solve a problem. Don't contribute to it.

Aisley ... I'm right there with you.

Get on with the business of dealing with the employer, CLEARLY there are enough disgruntled employees to achieve some kind of monetary reform in the industry. Stop placing the blame on the customer, the Oprah Show ... anyone else except the people that actually matter.

I have to say thou, if the world ended on January 1, 2011, because Oprah said it would, you'd have people posting here Jan 2 complaining Oprah was wrong.

Honestly.

I tip 15-20% depending on service. I factor this into the cost of eating out.

If you want the restaurants to do this for you, the cost of your meal and associated tax will go up by 15-20%. Refusing to tip is like stealing the service.

I have to definely disagree with you.

Raising the cost of a meal is nothing more than a fear mongering factor, and so often heard by people in the industry, that is suppose to come across as a threat. It's how lobbyist work in Washington, for the most part, THIS will happen if WE don't get THAT......

And I have to say, if any resturant I've ever visited, engages in price gouging by intimidation, there needs to be a similar expection of loss of profit. In this age of purse tightening and budgeting, anyone can eat out and avoid those places that engage in price gouging as an easy alternative to just paying their staff a decent wage, unless one is wealthy enough so it doesn't make a difference.

There's another option we as consumers have .... free will, and as another poster put it .... refuse to return.

It's an archaic custom that needs to end... period. When I go out for a meal, I should not be responsible for paying the staff by way of tips. I feel this way about all tipping, not just restaurants. If the cost of the meal needs to go up then do so, at least this way the server can have a more consistent paycheck.

When a server knows that his income is based on the quality of the service he provides, he should be prepared to offer the best service he can offer or suffer the consequences. I'm not saying they have to be super attentive and be the life of the party, but just check on the customer from time to time and try their best to serve them well.

I don't understand waiters and waitresses, you complain that you don't get enough in tips because you don't get a pay check. Some restaurants do give you a pay check plus you get tips.

If the pay is so bad being a waiter or waitress then take that up with the restaurant owner not the customers. We go to restaurants and give our patronage to the restaurant owners and waiters and waitress are part of the restaurant. It is not the customers job to pay you your wages it is your employer's job.

When we go shopping at the mall, we don't pay the sales clerk, we pay the store owner. It is the store owners responsiblity to pay its employees.

Just like a restaurant owner, waiters and waitresses are their employee and it is the restaurant owners responsibility to pay their employees.

If you waiters and waitress get suckered into this type of employment then don't complain. If you don't like how your being paid then go and find another job.

Find a job that will give you a pay check.

Remember, restaurants can't function without their waiters and waitresses, and their customers.

Maybe it is time for waiters and waitresses to go on strike and demand a proper pay check from them.

I for one will not eat at a restaurant that has employees work for tips.

The prices at the restaurants are outrageous as it is. Why should I pay the restaurant owner and their employees?

I can make the same meal at home for a lot less and it will taste better too because I made it.

The restaurant owners are making a killing for not even cooking. They may own the restaurants, but how many actually go into the kitchen to cook the actual meals? Most of them are playing hostess or host.

Or they are lying on some beach some where talking on their cell phones while their employees at doing all the work.

I rather just cook at home. No more restaurants for me or my family.

Relax no need to boycott Oprah. She ie not always right in what she says. She's human like the rest of us. Loads of people can't afford to eat out never mind give a huge tip. Oprah's realistic in what she says. The economy is doing badly people need to keep every cent of their spare money for bills and stuff.

It is true to say that Oprah is not always right. I am very glad some people realize that. But she has millions of viewers that take her advice on a day-to-day basis just for the simple fact that she is such a powerful woman; no matter what the topic may be.

This is a topic that hits closer to home for me, and a lot of my friends. I have been in the restaurant biz for twelve years, and it has treated me very well. It has always been a concern of mine that we, as servers, rely on the generosity of other people; generosity being the key word. But you cannot tell me that in the years that you've dined out, you don't understand that this is how we make our living. Our tips are what pays for our food, our rent/mortgage, car payments, childcare, and everything in between.

Sure, it is easy to say 'if you don't like it, then go find another job'. Exactly how easy would that be in today's economy? And how would you like it if one of the richest women in the world suggested that your salary should be cut in half?

Whether you realize it or not, being in the customer service industry is an extremely hard job. It takes a great amount of patience, skill, personality, and a huge willingness to shut your mouth when you want to speak your mind the most to the customers that "are NOT always right". And there are plenty of customer service jobs that do get paid minimum wage or above. I think it is fair to say that we deal with just as much, if not more, of the same rude, pompous, and ill-willed customers that they do. And let's not even get into the sexism and racism that we have to put up with. And we get $2.13 an hour! So, you're saying that's all we deserve?

It is not up to our employers as to how much we get paid. It is up to the state that we live in. Yes, we could picket and riot until we get paid more hourly. But that would require years and years of fighting. We do not have that kind of time. We have $2.13 an hour. And that's not going to change anytime soon.

What I have right now is the hope that my customers know that 10% is not an acceptable tip...for good service. I think I can speak for every server when I say that. It is a known fact that 20% is the standard. And for the restaurant-goers that know this, but are ignoring it...just stay home. Our pockets are already being hit hard enough because families that know how to tip are cutting back on dining-out. So please, for the ones that still can afford this luxury, don't listen to Oprah. You come to a restaurant for a good time. You pay for the food, the wine, and yes, the service. If you don't get good service, then tip less. But for the servers out there that work so hard to give you the experience that YOU deserve, they also are deserving of a 20% or more tip.

Sarah Rhea

Memphis, TN