CALGARY RESTAURANT OWNER FURIOUS AT OILERS OVER UNPAID TAB

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CTV 1/1/2010
3 f. s2 K) |# Q: S' LCALGARY -- 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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Maurizio 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.
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Terrigno 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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! C' r8 r5 h4 U* W7 b! mTerrigno 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.

: R/ k" d, n. S3 U& `% ~- ~The Oilers had lost by a score of 2-1 earlier in the night against the Calgary Flames.
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$ V7 t6 N) n. {8 B0 M: ^Oilers spokesman Allan Watt said the restaurant was recommended by some Calgary friends of the players and they had a prearranged meal and menu.
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- k8 l& d9 U/ H% F$ B$ u& o"They received the bill which they felt was outrageous," said Watt.

# F! ?" {  A9 ]- Z: u3 J"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."
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Watt said the players paid the adjusted bill and added a $1,900 tip and left the restaurant.
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) ~# R$ R5 l* j+ @  H% @8 Y4 W+ WTerrigno said the group, which included team captain Ethan Moreau, attempted to negotiate a discount on the bill.
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He 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.
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" y8 f4 z# w5 h& C. y3 ?$ tThe restaurant tried to charge for a bottle of an imported expensive brandy after one of the players took a swig straight from it.

5 X" J! q( X9 b' B"They refused to pay for the whole bottle because they didn't consume the whole bottle," said Terrigno.
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He said there's no way the restaurant will serve other clients from the same bottle.

$ O0 x: P" R1 ~1 `9 lTerrigno said at one point he threatened to phone police.
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" ?5 O6 t% W0 `"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."

9 t# V5 N9 j6 n$ ~' c2 N% S& h9 hTerrigno 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.