Better Off Without A Tip From Hillary Strangers Send Waitress Nearly $1,000 After Faux Pas

An upstate waitress who didn’t get a tip from Hillary Rodham Clinton last week has been flooded with cash from sympathizers.

Trish Trupo, 31, has gotten nearly $1,000 in gratuities from strangers as far away as California who read about the first lady’s lunch-time faux pas in newspapers and on the Internet.

“I’m a little blown away,” said Trupo, a single mother who works for $2.90 an hour plus tips at the Village House restaurant in Albion, N.Y.

“I’ve never met these people. But they’re writing cards saying, `I’m a single mother, too’ or `I’m a waitress, too.’ They’re saying, `You go, girl!’ Well, the only place I go is to work.”

It was busy at the diner Feb. 8 when Clinton and her entourage walked in from the campaign trail for a bite. The manager told Clinton it was on the house, and Trupo took the order: a double helping of scrambled eggs, home fries and rye toast.

“She was wonderful,” Trupo said. “She was very nice, very personable. She even autographed a takeout menu to my son.”