Editor's Note: Since this story aired, Hillary Clinton's campaign contacted NPR to say that the campaign paid Maid-Rite a bill for $157 the day of Clinton's visit and left $100 in tip money. NPR contacted Maid-Rite manager Brad Crawford, who confirmed that a bill was paid and tip money was left. Crawford, who was not in the restaurant at the time, said that he believes a campaign staffer left the money with one of his employees, but "where Hillary was sitting, there was no tip left." Neither Anita Esterday nor the manager on duty that day were available for comment as of noon Thursday.
So the campaign paid the bill and left a sizeable tip but it apparently never got to the waitress.
-- Jim C.
>J Cullen wrote:
>> I heard that too. You'd think that when a candidate goes out of her
>> way to talk to the waitstaff about her economic problems, the
>> candidate would make sure she had a couple bucks to make sure she --
>> and not her aide -- left a tip.
>
>You would think that a campaign with millions of dollars could pay an
>intern to do something to avoid political gaffes like this.
>
>It's pretty hard to spare any crocodile tears for Clinton, that savior
>of the working class.
>
>Chuck