Sunday, January 03, 2010

And they didn't even take a doggie bag!


The battle of Alberta is going to get a little bit hotter we suspect, now that the Edmonton Oilers have left their mark (and reduced payments) on the bill of a well known Calgary restaurant.

Saturday was filled with reports of the battle over the bill, which saw the Oilers take exception to the rather large compilation of charges provided to them at one of Calgary's more famous of eateries Osteria de Medici.

At the heart of the dispute was the Oilers final tally for the night of social activity of players, wives and girlfriends, a rather bacchanalian night for the 45 guests, judging by the numbers which came in at $16,796.39, including tax and tip.
.
That rather abruptly brought the festivities to an end and apparently got the Oilers elbows up, with the boys reportedly at one point refusing to pay anything for the night. As the discussions continued, eventually the price was reduced by $6,000 dollars and the final amount was $12,000 - including an $1,888 tip.

By the time the dust up had settled down, the impression was out there that the Oilers were considered to be cheap skates while the restaurant was painted as akin to robber barons, with accusations flying back and forth, the Oilers were subjected to much in the way of incidental humour through Saturday as they prepared for their match in San Jose (we wonder if they brown bagged it down the coast?)

Today, though all is forgiven, that it seems with the owner of the restaurant reporting back that all accounts have been settled, with any further discussion on the menu selections and payment provisions to be handled by the Oilers front office.

Toronto Sun-- Oilers, restaurant come to 'agreement'
Canadian Press-- Hockey fans buzzing over Edmonton Oilers restaurant bill dispute
CTV News-- Oilers blamed for partially unpaid New Year's Eve tab
Edmonton Journal-- Oilers called cheapskates over huge bar tab
Edmonton Sun-- Bad Aftertaste
Edmonton Sun-- Restaurant GM changes tune on Oilers
Calgary Sun-- Cross chequing for Oilers
Calgary Herald-- Oilers, Calgary restaurant settle spat over bill

The Oilers have one more regular season stop in Calgary this year coming up on the 30th of January ( and perhaps more if they make the playoffs) so as a service to their gastronomical requirements we offer up this helpful list of Calgary restaurants, should they wish to maybe pass by Osteria de Medici.

And to help out even further as they take to the road, perhaps they can find a discount or two from this site which offers up more wallet friendly pricing at any number of establishments around North America

No comments: