CALGARY RESTAURANT OWNER FURIOUS AT OILERS OVER UNPAID TAB

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CTV 1/1/2010
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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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.

/ A4 @% J7 H7 `' J. l) C; LTerrigno 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.
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' J& m; ?" B1 x# J. u+ D"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.

. i8 e; Z' D! o  xTerrigno 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 $16,796.39.
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( f2 ^$ Z' N. I+ `The Oilers had lost by a score of 2-1 earlier in the night against the Calgary Flames.

  c- K- S! L3 [: E& I: `& {3 lOilers spokesman Allan Watt said the restaurant was recommended by some Calgary friends of the players and they had a prearranged meal and menu.

* u( X( n. E. Y4 x: K  @"They received the bill which they felt was outrageous," said Watt.

+ ~5 k( K5 F+ m/ }3 e"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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. n3 o7 C6 L; }1 \Watt said the players paid the adjusted bill and added a $1,900 tip and left the restaurant.
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' z6 t6 V. M+ ~* K2 f0 I" uTerrigno 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.

2 t$ A, j% v1 U+ f- RThe restaurant tried to charge for a bottle of an imported expensive brandy after one of the players took a swig straight from it.
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; X7 u/ \3 V: g"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.

7 m3 k" I8 J( Q7 ]  ETerrigno said at one point he threatened to phone police.
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! i' q6 |$ O# p4 u) S# z"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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. N. G, ?2 J: a- K! b" M  _' L( \Terrigno 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.