CALGARY RESTAURANT OWNER FURIOUS AT OILERS OVER UNPAID TAB

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CTV 1/1/2010
7 Y6 @* U% I, Z8 n. yCALGARY -- 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.

3 o! ^  R7 z  a- q5 c2 ITerrigno 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.

" ]7 A( o' B; X) C  b/ i$ `"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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: j$ r8 e" \0 LTerrigno 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.

2 `/ J: {: ]+ k' M* ]The Oilers had lost by a score of 2-1 earlier in the night against the Calgary Flames.
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# H& G* R* q1 m; ?$ q& A/ A) p2 u& E$ _/ uOilers spokesman Allan Watt said the restaurant was recommended by some Calgary friends of the players and they had a prearranged meal and menu.

5 @. G  E- d' q* b* Z' W3 B9 [8 ~"They received the bill which they felt was outrageous," said Watt.
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"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."

( M, I/ u) Y6 u4 l" JWatt said the players paid the adjusted bill and added a $1,900 tip and left the restaurant.
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Terrigno said the group, which included team captain Ethan Moreau, attempted to negotiate a discount on the bill.

1 T3 _6 m/ M" v/ x( o# g7 oHe 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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; O5 U4 f  N% ], r2 Z  HThe restaurant tried to charge for a bottle of an imported expensive brandy after one of the players took a swig straight from it.

- k3 e% d: z) ]7 x4 J9 W"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.

( V7 P% E- H1 M8 d, W; d5 b# i9 mTerrigno said at one point he threatened to phone police.

+ W: L$ Y2 P# O$ ["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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! `3 w7 ~7 ~1 z; {# H4 l# p0 FTerrigno 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.