CALGARY RESTAURANT OWNER FURIOUS AT OILERS OVER UNPAID TAB

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CTV 1/1/2010
: \) z7 b4 o' n% a3 mCALGARY -- 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.

5 A# p' D; E& E8 M2 h# l/ sMaurizio 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 $12,381.45.
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8 U6 v/ g8 V( q$ [1 ]: b# Z( w: STerrigno said about half of the bill was for alcohol totalling $8,248, including dozens of shots of tequila and bottles of expensive wine and $1,000 champagne.
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9 _0 d5 c7 v7 S' C$ l- W* f"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.

7 ~) Y9 {1 h2 ?2 b# I2 {+ W! |5 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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( \0 d% u6 a1 i# hThe Oilers had lost by a score of 2-1 earlier in the night against the Calgary Flames.

& m( n# F7 e; I% c; g5 m7 YOilers spokesman Allan Watt said the restaurant was recommended by some Calgary friends of the players and they had a prearranged meal and menu.

( j9 F# H! N6 Y# f$ x" \"They received the bill which they felt was outrageous," said Watt.
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# }3 U& {# M) T6 Y. N* H7 P6 H3 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."
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Watt said the players paid the adjusted bill and added a $1,900 tip and left the restaurant.

5 n8 J. n5 j9 b4 GTerrigno said the group, which included team captain Ethan Moreau, attempted to negotiate a discount on the bill.

4 X6 T4 |$ g+ y0 ~, E1 uHe 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.

3 E+ S, \8 Z/ ~9 S  f+ |The 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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# `  f" H* R. V+ r* m& `"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.
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Terrigno 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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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.