CALGARY RESTAURANT OWNER FURIOUS AT OILERS OVER UNPAID TAB

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CTV 1/1/2010
6 w# n. B$ h% K2 S. v- v1 c1 ]CALGARY -- The manager of an upscale Calgary restaurant is furious, claiming that Edmonton Oilers players refused to cover the full cost of a nearly $17,000 tab during a New Year's Eve night out for team members.
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' d8 c* v) H$ V; t  o% I" {: LMaurizio Terrigno of Osteria de Medici, the restaurant where former U.S. president George W. Bush dined when he was in Calgary last year, said the team and staff owed $16,796.39 but wanted a break on the bill and paid $12,381.45.

: }$ m; h" F: C- fTerrigno said about half of the bill was for alcohol totalling $8,248, including dozens of shots of tequila and bottles of expensive wine and $1,000 champagne.

"These guys came in, they enjoyed our hospitality and when the bill came ... they went ballistic to the point where they started threatening, denigrating my staff, saying, `We're the Edmonton Oilers, we expect a 50 per cent discount,' " said Terrigno.
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Terrigno said 45 people ordered off the menu and their total bill came to $14,234.23, including $677.98 for GST. The restaurant usually adds an automatic 18 per cent gratuity for a large group, which would bring the total to $16,796.39.

The Oilers had lost by a score of 2-1 earlier in the night against the Calgary Flames.

Oilers spokesman Allan Watt said the restaurant was recommended by some Calgary friends of the players and they had a prearranged meal and menu.

"They received the bill which they felt was outrageous," said Watt.
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, h* q! K0 J. F& y"They inquired about it and they were unhappy about it and were unhappy with some of the charges. The restaurant adjusted it by $7,000."

Watt said the players paid the adjusted bill and added a $1,900 tip and left the restaurant.

* F7 n0 V6 W$ p# Q( WTerrigno said the group, which included team captain Ethan Moreau, attempted to negotiate a discount on the bill.

; q4 z& U/ A" K' qHe said the players argued they should pay by the bottle for dozens of shooters purchased during the bash, but the restaurant charged them for each one individually.

0 z, U: }. p# s8 n( ~) ]4 yThe restaurant tried to charge for a bottle of an imported expensive brandy after one of the players took a swig straight from it.

"They refused to pay for the whole bottle because they didn't consume the whole bottle," said Terrigno.

; r9 [0 h3 ?, i- ?# H5 nHe said there's no way the restaurant will serve other clients from the same bottle.

8 W  j1 M- ?9 xTerrigno said at one point he threatened to phone police.
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"It's the first time during the 37 years of business have I ever experienced something like this," he said. "What's more upsetting is we know who they are."
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% F, L1 h9 ^" K# F  M$ z' zTerrigno said because he was infuriated by what happened he plans on donating the money the players paid the restaurant to charity.

千度

The Edmonton Oilers players were ripped off.