CALGARY RESTAURANT OWNER FURIOUS AT OILERS OVER UNPAID TAB

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CTV 1/1/2010
. t9 A7 `% w! \! I  V0 w3 U9 M$ G, ZCALGARY -- 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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! V  h' p2 g* Z: kMaurizio 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.

6 s, {0 `" k6 @' n0 ^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.

* B+ t3 [8 @4 O6 @' \6 {2 x) G"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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Terrigno 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.

The Oilers had lost by a score of 2-1 earlier in the night against the Calgary Flames.
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3 m$ R, I& h9 d4 l  Q& wOilers spokesman Allan Watt said the restaurant was recommended by some Calgary friends of the players and they had a prearranged meal and menu.

"They received the bill which they felt was outrageous," said Watt.

# _# u% ~/ b! w7 K9 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."

Watt 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.
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, l. D8 \7 l6 s8 Z' A2 yHe 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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The restaurant tried to charge for a bottle of an imported expensive brandy after one of the players took a swig straight from it.

  F3 ~$ d- R: A! v: t"They refused to pay for the whole bottle because they didn't consume the whole bottle," said Terrigno.

+ z2 V, L- Y7 X0 l8 cHe 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.

"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."

+ O1 m- X+ z4 f- T3 a, W9 J; ]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.