It sounds as if the owner just really wants the thing gone, and in a pretty narrow time frame, too. Replacement cost doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. Neither does the original cost.
The only cost that matters is what it is worth to someone else, and being that moving it is going to be a royal pain in the backside there isn't a whole lot of value there. If he can get rid of it without it costing him anything, I think that is the most he can hope for. Moving it, in one piece, would take several people, a flatdeck truck (or trailer), and potentially even a small picker.
Providing the equipment that goes with the tank is reasonable quality, a good option might be to offer the equipment for free (or a very reduced cost) to whoever is willing to get the tank out of the restaurant in the middle of the night before August 1st.
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Shelley
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