CALGARY RESTAURANT OWNER FURIOUS AT OILERS OVER UNPAID TAB

Xbfeng

CTV 1/1/2010
  `: x8 e' X  {! A/ `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.
1 ^6 N6 v: a  {  o! I% k8 G) k
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 $1,000 champagne.
4 d" i3 }9 P$ R# O9 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.

* d& j; d. _) S3 D) l# g% dTerrigno 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.
( ]  O- Q2 T9 M$ i0 b
' ~6 p. o! ?+ w. o  B0 T. K! COilers spokesman Allan Watt said the restaurant was recommended by some Calgary friends of the players and they had a prearranged meal and menu.
7 i# B# A9 \6 ^7 i
"They received the bill which they felt was outrageous," said Watt.
. S) I# v8 r" R4 i9 M7 u1 C
"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."
" b0 e' Z+ |% S% I! c2 G" E; G
8 @  v& u8 m- }& wWatt said the players paid the adjusted bill and added a $1,900 tip and left the restaurant.
' g. S( K/ @5 S- a
5 B% W/ l+ V4 I8 ?1 hTerrigno said the group, which included team captain Ethan Moreau, attempted to negotiate a discount on the bill.

7 d6 s! ]3 q7 U9 M' B4 v* JHe 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.
# h3 y, P( I: U6 m; T) F
! C- ]" B8 S; bThe restaurant tried to charge for a bottle of an imported expensive brandy after one of the players took a swig straight from it.

"They refused to pay for the whole bottle because they didn't consume the whole bottle," said Terrigno.
  k: n# x+ G$ W2 G* a( t
He said there's no way the restaurant will serve other clients from the same bottle.
) o: ?) \, \7 {! U3 x& g
6 n" r5 N% {) x1 v! L4 a/ q9 _Terrigno said at one point he threatened to phone police.
; w& D  s" I4 U5 E# V" _
6 @! m7 ~& B. x$ ?"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."
* ]1 ~: {: c& y
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.