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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# @9 Z" M8 \7 j6 {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.

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.

) g. H: Z- \9 E7 Y8 h! Q"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.

( X& F: R( }8 M% }  L2 UTerrigno 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.

/ ]1 z2 b8 g- Q5 W* D& z* G4 bThe Oilers had lost by a score of 2-1 earlier in the night against the Calgary Flames.

! b' @$ \$ V8 |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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"They received the bill which they felt was outrageous," said Watt.
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2 }. z- J  s& Q3 F( G/ k* i"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.

Terrigno said the group, which included team captain Ethan Moreau, attempted to negotiate a discount on the bill.

1 u+ V9 W+ j3 j% GHe 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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% w. h# E! \# \1 dThe restaurant tried to charge for a bottle of an imported expensive brandy after one of the players took a swig straight from it.

0 i7 m+ ]: }! z"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.

Terrigno said at one point he threatened to phone police.

  S* j0 N% p# |1 N7 _"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."

& e$ X0 _8 L, s$ tTerrigno 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.