CALGARY RESTAURANT OWNER FURIOUS AT OILERS OVER UNPAID TAB

Xbfeng

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.
9 f5 C3 Q' V% v( c# l9 O
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.

  R5 A; ~' A0 W9 |# Q. GTerrigno 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.

% E( z* v# }. C$ X$ n"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.
. ?1 c: I6 K7 G9 D# A, ~
3 h7 a2 T. L# V, YTerrigno 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.

' [+ P1 c" r" dOilers spokesman Allan Watt said the restaurant was recommended by some Calgary friends of the players and they had a prearranged meal and menu.
& p+ ~1 i* U0 H
"They received the bill which they felt was outrageous," said Watt.

2 t' ?9 n4 E7 p& S6 G% m) F8 d"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."
+ l3 l- X% d: c: u
- v( s3 l& H6 U( z7 V2 VWatt said the players paid the adjusted bill and added a $1,900 tip and left the restaurant.
- {1 o4 L! u. l/ [
+ u* H, I* ~4 P& Y& YTerrigno said the group, which included team captain Ethan Moreau, attempted to negotiate a discount on the bill.
  F3 k8 _, F& Q7 v  ~$ c: C" N
He 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.

: m# @6 U4 m0 T/ vThe restaurant tried to charge for a bottle of an imported expensive brandy after one of the players took a swig straight from it.
; z" I) g* Q' J) `) a5 z
0 G; Q. J) J' r1 J9 i1 l2 H1 Z"They refused to pay for the whole bottle because they didn't consume the whole bottle," said Terrigno.
8 _" y  t, t+ A4 C) f" ~0 d
/ e( u, R. B9 D3 I9 R+ vHe said there's no way the restaurant will serve other clients from the same bottle.

/ t; [/ k. ~4 p7 j7 V; t8 hTerrigno said at one point he threatened to phone police.
9 @) O4 H: l1 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."
% p! o7 o2 s. H. h& c1 P
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.