CALGARY RESTAURANT OWNER FURIOUS AT OILERS OVER UNPAID TAB

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CTV 1/1/2010
# a" c( r$ W* L( i, l' _# _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.

# b* Q& ~! \3 @: |, ]4 Q' U- Q8 HMaurizio 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.
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9 L6 r7 H  g" G8 v0 q2 wTerrigno 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.

1 n" C. p$ q  T"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.

! |: r$ {# D. z$ MThe Oilers had lost by a score of 2-1 earlier in the night against the Calgary Flames.
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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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% J& Q2 O1 J+ _" X' q"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."
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( O4 b- a: f  Y' r3 zWatt said the players paid the adjusted bill and added a $1,900 tip and left the restaurant.
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$ J% \- d$ ?) E6 ZTerrigno said the group, which included team captain Ethan Moreau, attempted to negotiate a discount on the bill.
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" b$ I- P1 L- g" WHe 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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3 N4 F0 \* g! m6 ?- l% Z. ]The 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.
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, P; ?3 A5 I# i% l( k" D' @( bHe 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.

# f" F- x( |9 q: o/ Z5 a) 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."

" x/ K4 R' N/ U8 LTerrigno 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.