Sassafraz private dining in Toronto: a real call about the Bellair room
A real call asked Sassafraz in Yorkville about a private dinner for 12 to 14. The date was taken, but staff named the room, the minimum and an all in per person estimate. Four other Toronto venues were called for the same night.
Nick Khami / / 8 min readSassafraz is at 100 Cumberland Street in Toronto's Yorkville, and its number is 416-964-2222. Both are listed on the restaurant's official contact page, and 416-964-2222 is the number this call dialed. The phone menu offers 2 for private event bookings. A staff member answered about 35 seconds into the call.
On October 9, 2026, a call4me customer's assistant called about a private dinner for 12 to 14 guests on Thursday, November 19, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, with a target of about C$140 per person all in.
The short answer from Sassafraz: the private room was not available on November 19. Staff still answered the planning questions for another night: the smaller room is the Bellair (spoken as "Bel Air"), dinners work off a C$2,200 food and beverage minimum plus tax and gratuity, and for 12 guests the estimate came to C$169.50 per person including tax and gratuity, which staff said would be over the C$140 target.
What Sassafraz Toronto said about private dining
| Question | What Sassafraz said on October 9 |
|---|---|
| Private room on Thursday, November 19 | Not available |
| Which room for 12 to 14 | The smaller room, the Bellair |
| Pricing model | A C$2,200 food and beverage minimum, plus tax and gratuity |
| Family style | "We don't typically offer family style meals," but for 12 guests they could |
| Average food price mentioned | "Maybe about $95" per person, depending on the offerings |
| All in estimate for 12 guests | C$169.50 per person including tax and gratuity |
| C$140 per person all in | Staff said "I think we would be over" |
| Courtesy hold | Not placed, because the room was not available |
| Follow up | The events contact gave a name and email for a proposal |
Sassafraz's private events page, checked October 16, lists two rooms: the Bellair, described for groups "up to 32 seated", and the Cumberland, for up to 72 seated. The two rooms can be combined. The page does not list minimums or prices, which is why the call was useful.
During the call, staff also said "That'd be $125" while working out the numbers, before giving the C$169.50 all in figure. The recording does not show how $95, $125 and C$169.50 relate to the C$2,200 minimum. Ask for a written breakdown before you compare it with another venue.
Listen to the Sassafraz call
The complete recording keeps its original timing and voices. The customer's name, company and email addresses are muted, as are the staff member's name and email. Restaurant and room names stay audible.
The recording lasts 4 minutes 24 seconds.
Read the transcript
Complete recording with original voices and timing. Private identifiers are muted and shown in brackets. The dialogue was reviewed against the saved call text and independent automatic source and export transcriptions; uncertain words remain marked. No human listening verification is claimed.
Phone system: [Partial greeting] thank you for calling Sassafraz. To help direct you, please listen to our guided options. For general inquiries and reservations, please press 1. For private event bookings, please press 2. For accounting, please press 3. Press star to repeat this menu. For any further information, please visit our website at www.sassafraz.ca.
AI agent: Okay, just a second.
Representative: [staff name muted] speaking.
AI agent: Hi, I was hoping to ask about a private dinner on Thursday, November 19th, from 6 to 9 for maybe 12 to 14 people. Do you have a private room open then?
Representative: We have a private room, but it's not available on the 19th.
AI agent: Ah, okay. Just so I know, which room would that be if it were?
Representative: The smaller room is the Bel Air.
AI agent: Gotcha. If it were available another night, do you have a sense of the per person cost all in for a family style menu with a couple glasses of wine?
Representative: Well, we work off minimum food and beverage spends. So the minimum spend would be $2,200 plus tax and gratuity. We don't typically offer family style meals, but I guess for a guest count of 12 we could, and it really depends what's on the offerings. I would say an average price would maybe be about $95.
AI agent: Okay, thanks. Our target is about 140 Canadian all in per person. Is that in the ballpark, given the minimum? Or is there a way to make that work?
Representative: Let me just see here. That'd be $125. I think we would be over. I'm just going to give you the tax and the, including tax and gratuity. That would come in at $169.50 per person.
AI agent: Okay. And that's with tax and gratuity, $169.50.
Representative: That's right. [Partly overlapping]
AI agent: Okay, thanks.
Representative: You're welcome.
AI agent: Sorry. If the room had been open that night, would you be able to put a courtesy hold under [customer name and company muted] with no deposit, just to hold the space?
Representative: But it's not available.
AI agent: Right, right. Just to understand for another night.
Representative: Okay, is there another night that you have in mind?
AI agent: Not at the moment. Could I get your events contact name and email so we can follow up?
Representative: For sure. Yeah, my name [staff name and spelling muted].
AI agent: Okay.
Representative: And my email address is [staff email muted].
AI agent: Perfect. So [staff email readback muted]. Could you send any proposal to... Great. Could you send any proposal to [customer email addresses muted]?
Representative: Okay, I didn't get any of that. Sorry. What is the email address again?
AI agent: No problem. The email [customer email addresses and spelling muted].
Representative: [email readback muted] Okay.
AI agent: Awesome. Thank you so much. Have a great day.
Representative: Thank you. You too.
AI agent: Bye.
Sassafraz compared with four other Toronto private dining rooms
The same assistant called other Toronto restaurants about the same Thursday, November 19 dinner. Two calls were on October 9 and two on October 13. Each number below is the one dialed, checked against the venue's own website. Lai Wah Heen was also called; that conversation has its own write up.
| Venue | Was November 19 open? | Room named on the call | Minimum or price stated | Next step given |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sassafraz, Yorkville | No | Bellair, the smaller room | C$2,200 food and beverage minimum plus tax and gratuity; about C$169.50 per person all in for 12 | Proposal by email from the events contact |
| Ki Modern Japanese + Bar, Bay Street | Yes, per staff | Spring Orchid Room (up to 12 at one table) or Higginson Room (recommended for 14 at one long table) | C$2,000 minimum before tax and gratuity for Spring Orchid; C$3,500 for Higginson | Staff offered to email the events package |
| La Plume at The Well, through O&B Events | A private dining room was "available at La Plume currently" | Smallest room, up to 24 people | C$800 food and beverage minimum for a Thursday dinner, no room rental | Menu options on La Plume's private events page |
| Estiatorio Volos, Richmond Street West | Nothing booked yet that night | The private room, which "seats up to 35" | A minimum spend applies; the waiter would not estimate it | Email the events manager |
| Opus Restaurant, Yorkville | "So far it's open" | Not discussed | Not discussed | Call the events contact back, or email him |
None of these calls booked a room. "Available" here is what staff said on the call, not a hold.
Ki Modern Japanese + Bar
Ki's website lists (416) 308 5888 at 181 Bay Street, the number dialed on October 13. Reception took the date and party size, then put the call on hold. The events contact came on about 2 minutes 17 seconds into the call.
She said they had room that night. The Spring Orchid Room seats up to 12 at one table; 14 guests would need two tables. For one long table of 14, she recommended the Higginson Room. The minimums were C$2,000 for Spring Orchid and C$3,500 for Higginson, with tax and gratuity extra on the Spring Orchid figure. The call ended while the customer's email was still being spelled, so the package email was not confirmed.
One detail to check in writing: on the call, the Higginson Room seats "up to sixteen at one long table", while Ki's Fall and Winter 2026 to 2027 private events package lists it for a 24 person sit down dinner.
The recording lasts 4 minutes 56 seconds, including Ki's full recorded hold message.
Read the Ki transcript
Complete recording with original voices and timing. Private identifiers are muted and shown in brackets. No human listening verification is claimed.
Representative: Ki Modern Japanese, [staff name muted] speaking.
AI agent: Hey [staff name muted], I'm hoping to set up a private dinner one evening. Could I speak with your events or group sales person?
Representative: Yeah, let me see if she's in. We aren't like officially open right now. One second. I just need to know the date and how many people and time.
AI agent: Sure, yeah. Thursday, November 19th from 6 to 9, and it's twelve to fourteen people.
Representative: Okay, perfect. Give me one second.
AI agent: Sure.
Phone system: Welcome to Ki Modern Japanese and Bar, where tradition takes a step forward in Japanese dining. At Ki, our chefs offer dishes to please and excite the palate of locals and visitors alike. We offer a variety of dining areas for your enjoyment. Our sushi bar provides great entertainment as you watch our expert sushi chefs performing their magic. The sushi bar is a dynamic and interactive place to enjoy not just sushi, but Ki's full menu offerings. We invite you to be our guest for a truly memorable dining experience. Your call is important. Please remain on the line and we'll return momentarily. Monday to Friday, we open at 11:30 a.m. Saturdays, we open at 4 p.m. and we are closed on Sundays. We invite you to visit our website at www.kijapanese.com to make online reservations. One moment, please. Are you looking for a place to catch up with friends after work? Our bar and lounge is the perfect environment to enjoy drinks and light snacks. Our Kampai cocktail hour, available from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, offers $9 Sapporo draft beers, $10 wine features, and a whole host of delicious izakaya snacks like our ginger fried karaage chicken and braised pork belly bao buns. Ki Modern Japanese and Bar is conveniently located a mere one block north of the Scotiabank Arena, which makes us the ideal destination to enjoy dinner before a sporting event or concert. Whether you are heading out for a game or concert with friends or colleagues, Ki is perfect for...
Representative: Hi there, thank you for holding. This is [staff name muted] speaking.
AI agent: Hey [staff name muted], no problem. I'm looking to do a private dinner for a small group, about twelve to fourteen people, for Thursday, November 19th from 6 to 9, and I'm wondering if you have room that night.
Representative: We do. Sorry, how many people, again?
AI agent: It would be twelve to fourteen, for three hours.
Representative: Yeah, not a problem. So we have two different rooms based on the numbers. So we have our Spring Orchid Room that seats up to twelve guests at one table. And then our Higginson Room seats up to sixteen at one long table, so I might recommend that one for you, just based on your numbers if you have fourteen. In the Spring Orchid Room, if we do fourteen, it'd have to be at two separate tables in the small room. So if you wanted them all sat at one long table, then we could accommodate that as well.
AI agent: Yeah, okay.
Representative: And then, the... Hello?
AI agent: Yeah, I'm here.
Representative: Oh, sorry, I didn't get your name.
AI agent: Oh, that's okay. I'm with [company muted]. So, are you able to tell me what the pricing looks like for that?
Representative: Of course. Yeah, I can also send you our events package. So for the Spring Orchid Room, for up to twelve people, or fourteen at two separate rooms, we have... here, oh sorry, I'm just logging into all of my items here. Getting caught up after a long weekend, you know.
AI agent: Yeah, of course.
Representative: Okay. So we have, it's $2,000 minimum spend for food and beverage before tax and gratuity for the Spring Orchid Room. And then the Higginson Room is $3,500.
AI agent: I see. Okay. Are you able to email me the package?
Representative: Of course, yeah. [Unclear] email here.
AI agent: Sure, it's [customer email addresses muted].
Representative: Sorry, [email readback muted].
AI agent and representative: [Several overlapping turns spelling and reading back the email addresses, muted]
Representative: And sorry, the first email was...
AI agent: [customer name muted]
Representative: Sorry, do you mind spelling that for me?
AI agent: Yeah, [name spelling muted]
Note: The recording ends here, while the email was still being spelled.
La Plume at The Well, through Oliver & Bonacini Events
This call dialed 416-364-1211, which Oliver & Bonacini's event venues page lists for booking an event. It is not Canoe's own number; Canoe's website lists 416-364-0054 and sends private dining inquiries to an online form. The O&B events line has two spoken menus. A person answered about 1 minute 42 seconds in. The recording does not show which key was pressed.
The coordinator steered the downtown request to La Plume at The Well and said a private dining room was "available at La Plume currently". The smallest room "can fit up to twenty four people", and a Thursday dinner carries a C$800 food and beverage minimum with no room rental. She did not give a per person price and pointed to the menus on La Plume's site.
La Plume's private events page, checked October 16, lists the 24 seat Provence Room as semi-private and the Burgundy Room for 28 seated. If you need a fully enclosed room, ask which one the minimum applies to. No hold, events contact or proposal was confirmed before the recording ended.
The recording lasts 6 minutes 55 seconds. It includes two stretches of about 34 and 32 seconds with no speech while the coordinator looked up options; they are kept at full length.
Read the La Plume transcript
Complete recording with original voices and timing. Private identifiers are muted and shown in brackets. No human listening verification is claimed.
Phone system: Thank you for calling Oliver and Bonacini Events and Catering. For your convenience, an overview of our event spaces and their menu offerings is available on our website at oliverbonacinievents.com. When leaving a message, please be sure to include the name of the restaurant or venue you are interested in and a brief description, including date of the event. To access our company directory, please press pound. For an event in one of our restaurants or venues, please press one. For catering at a location of your choice, please press two. For any other inquiry, please press zero to speak with our reception. To repeat this menu, please press star.
AI agent: Okay, I'll take reception to reach a person.
Phone system: For events in one of our restaurants, please press one. For events at Toronto Region Board of Trade at 100 Queens Quay, please press two. For events at Arcadian Court, Arcadian Loft, or Arcadian Studio, please press three. For events at Malaparte in [unclear] Lightbox, please press four. For events at the [venue name unclear], please press five. For events at the Village Loft, please press six. For events at Estates of Sunnybrook, please press seven. For events at 68 [unclear], please press eight. For events at [venue name unclear], please press nine. To repeat this menu, please press star.
AI agent: Hmm, not sure which one.
Representative: Hello, O&B Events, [staff name muted] speaking.
AI agent: Hey! I was hoping to ask about a private dinner on Thursday, November nineteenth, for [company muted].
Representative: Um, what location or restaurant are you looking for?
AI agent: Yeah, I wasn't sure which one yet. [customer name muted] emailed this morning with the details, but I'm just trying to see if a private room's open that night.
Representative: Um, are you looking in downtown location?
AI agent: Yeah, downtown would be best.
Representative: Perfect. Um, you said November?
AI agent: The nineteenth, yeah, Thursday from about six to nine. Yeah, twelve to fourteen guests.
Note: About 34 seconds without speech.
Representative: So I'm just trying to find some options for you here.
AI agent: Okay, sure, yeah, no problem.
Note: About 32 seconds without speech.
Representative: Okay, so we have a restaurant called La Plume at The Well. Have you heard of that? If you go to their website you'll be able to see, like, information, but we have a private dining room available at La Plume currently.
AI agent: Okay.
Representative: It can, so our smallest room can fit up to twenty four people. So your guest count should be perfect for that. And you're looking for a dinner, right?
AI agent: Yeah, that's right.
Representative: For Thursday dinner, it will cost you $800 for food and beverage minimum spend. We do not charge for a room rental. It's just a food and beverage minimum spend.
AI agent: Okay, yeah, one sec, I'm just checking. And what would the per person cost look like all in, with like a set menu and a couple glasses of wine?
Representative: Um, that I will have to check, or like if you go to their website, you will be able to see like the menu options. So go to La Plume private events, and...
AI agent: Sure, yeah, I'll take a look and check that out. But yeah, could you send the events contact name and email?
Representative: At La Plume?
AI agent: Yeah, yeah, to [customer email addresses muted].
Representative: Um, I will have to note all of this information. Give me one second.
AI agent: Sure.
Representative: What's your full name? So you already said that you've filled in an inquiry with us?
AI agent: Yeah, we sent an email this morning with the details.
Representative: Okay, so yeah, can I get a full name?
AI agent: [customer name muted]
Representative: Can you spell that for me?
AI agent: [name spelling muted]
Representative: [name readback muted]
AI agent: Yep, that's right.
Representative: And your email?
AI agent: Yep, [customer email addresses muted]
Representative: So [email readback muted]. What's after [company spelling muted]
AI agent: [company spelling muted]
Representative: [company domain readback muted]
AI agent: Yeah, that's right.
Representative: And...
Note: The recording ends here.
Estiatorio Volos
Volos lists (416) 861 1211 at 133 Richmond Street West on its website, the number dialed on October 9. A waiter answered right away.
He said nothing was booked yet for November 19 and that the private room "is currently open", but "there will be a minimum spend" and only the events manager could estimate it. He described the private room as "a big room. It seats up to 35", and said dinners get busy on nights with an opera or ballet. He gave the events manager's email and said she might not review requests until the following week. He did not have another number for her.
Worth knowing before you call: Volos's private dining page, checked October 16, also lists a Celebration Table that seats 14, which was not mentioned on the call. The page asks for an online form for groups of 12 or more.
Part of the waiter's explanation of why the manager might be slow to reply was about her personal circumstances. Those two stretches are muted.
The recording lasts 4 minutes 16 seconds.
Read the Volos transcript
Complete recording with original voices and timing. Private identifiers are muted and shown in brackets. No human listening verification is claimed.
Representative: [Unclear greeting] restaurant, how can I help you?
AI agent: Hi! I was calling to ask about a private dinner for about 12 to 14 people on Thursday, November 19th, from 6 to 9 p.m.?
Representative: Have you contacted my events manager yet? Or is this your first contact with us?
AI agent: This is my first call, yeah.
Representative: Oh, okay. It looks like we don't have anything currently booked for the 19th of November. So I'll give you my manager's email address, and she can tell you about private dining options.
AI agent: Okay.
Representative: Her email is, are you ready? [staff email and spelling muted]
AI agent: Perfect. [staff email readback muted]
Representative: Excellent.
AI agent: Do you know if a private... yeah, do you know if a private room is open that evening, or if there's a typical per person cost?
Representative: It is currently open, but there will be a minimum spend, so that can be broken down to a per person, but I wouldn't want to hazard a guess what that might be. I am just a waiter. I can't speak for the manager on those sorts of things, so that'll be between the two of you. Be sure to include the date, the time, if it's a dinner reservation, say 6 p.m. or so, the number of people. Finer details like allergies and food preferences can be ironed out later, but just to work out those mega details will give her an opportunity to give you an estimate that would be fulsome.
AI agent: Hmm, okay, yeah. That makes sense. So if I email [staff name muted] with the details for the 19th, can she let me know what you can do for roughly about 140 Canadian per person all in?
Representative: I'm sorry, I had a phone issue. Could you repeat that last part? What she can do for...
AI agent: Oh. Could she let me know what you can do for roughly around 140 Canadian per person all in, for food and a couple glasses of wine, plus tax and gratuity?
Representative: Okay. I will say dinners are busy here, particularly on nights when there might be an opera or ballet. So the private room is a big room. It seats up to 35. So to take up 35 spots, you know, I'm sure she'll have a better estimate than I will. I don't want to make any assumptions on her behalf. So you send her that information with an email, she will get back to you. Now, [staff member's personal circumstances muted]. She's back to work on Tuesday. She might not have it in her to review this sort of material until next week. So I would just advise you to be patient with her. [staff member's personal circumstances muted]. But she will get back to you as soon as she can.
AI agent: For sure. Yeah, thank you. I totally understand.
Representative: My pleasure.
AI agent: Yeah, and could you just share her phone number as well, in case we want to follow up?
Representative: I [would or wouldn't, unclear] phone her at this restaurant. Yeah, I don't have her personal number, so I don't know how to get a hold of her outside of calling the restaurant or emailing her myself.
AI agent: Gotcha. Yeah, that's okay. I'll just start with an email to [staff name muted] and we'll go from there. Thanks so much for your help.
Representative: Okay, sounds good. Have a great day.
AI agent: You too! Take care, bye.
Representative: You're welcome. Bye bye.
Opus Restaurant
Opus lists (416) 921 3105 at 37 Prince Arthur Avenue in Yorkville on its website, which also describes a private dining room for 22. This October 13 call followed up after someone from Opus had called back about the dinner. The assistant opened by correcting the year to 2026; the recording does not show the earlier contact.
Staff said the events contact was out until the evening, checked the book, and said November 19 was "so far it's open". She suggested calling him back after 5:30 PM that day or between noon and 4 PM the next day, and gave his email. Nothing was held, and no room or pricing was discussed.
One mistake to know about: when spelling the customer's email, the assistant told staff there was "no H" in the name, which was wrong. A proposal sent from that note could go to the wrong address, so a written follow up should restate the email.
The recording lasts 2 minutes 28 seconds.
Read the Opus transcript
Complete recording with original voices and timing. Private identifiers are muted and shown in brackets. No human listening verification is claimed.
Representative: [Partial greeting] Opus Restaurant, [staff name muted] speaking.
AI agent: Hi! Someone from your team called us back about a private dinner. I was hoping to speak with [staff name muted] or someone in events about a dinner next month.
Representative: Next month. Okay, it will be [staff name muted]. He's back in this evening. He's just gone home to change for service. Is it possible you could give him a call back at about 5:30, or would you rather call him tomorrow afternoon? Because he comes in around noon and he'll be here until four.
AI agent: Okay, thanks.
Representative: Yeah, so it's whatever you would prefer.
AI agent: Great. Could you let him know we're looking at Thursday, November 19th of this year, not next year?
Representative: Okay, Thursday, November 19th. Let me just see if that date is even available, because then I can tell you if it's already been booked or not.
AI agent: Perfect, thank you.
Representative: Yeah, no problem. Let me take a look. November 19th. Yeah, so far it's open. So if you want to call him back after 5:30 today or between noon and 4 p.m. tomorrow.
AI agent: Okay. What's the best email for [staff name muted], so he can send over the package details for a group of about twelve to fourteen, for six to nine that night?
Representative: Yep, so the email is [staff email muted].
AI agent: Great, perfect. Could you ask him to send the package info to [customer email addresses muted]?
Representative: Can you repeat slower?
AI agent: Sure. [customer email addresses muted]
Representative: [company readback muted]
AI agent: That's right. [company domain muted]. There's no H in [customer name muted].
Representative: No H. Okay, great. Yeah, I would definitely still recommend calling him. You can send him an email, but I would definitely recommend calling him today after 5:30 or tomorrow between noon and four.
AI agent: Okay, we'll do that. Could I just confirm the best number to reach him?
Representative: The number that you just called here is probably the best. This is the Opus Restaurant number or email. Those would be the two best things, because he won't answer, I wouldn't give out his personal cell.
AI agent: Understood. I'll use this number. Thanks so much.
Representative: You're welcome.
AI agent: Awesome. Bye!
Representative: Thank you. Bye.
AI agent: Okay, that's everything.
Note: The assistant's last line came after the goodbye.
What these calls did not settle
- No room was booked or held at any of these five venues. Sassafraz's room was taken, and the others offered availability without a hold.
- No written proposal is shown. Every price here is a spoken figure from a dated call. Menus, wine, tax, service charges, deposits and cancellation terms were not confirmed in writing.
- Sassafraz's numbers need a breakdown. The $95 average, the $125 figure and the C$169.50 all in estimate were not reconciled against the C$2,200 minimum on the call.
- Room capacity differs between calls and websites at Ki (16 on the call, 24 in the package) and La Plume (the 24 seat room is listed as semi-private). Volos's 14 seat Celebration Table was not mentioned.
- The Ki and La Plume calls ended mid conversation, before an email or events contact was confirmed.
- The Opus email spelling correction was wrong, as noted above.
For what each charge on a private dining quote means, see our private dining room cost guide.
Ask your assistant to compare private dining rooms
Connect call4me using the Claude Code guide or Codex guide, then give it a brief like this. It is a suggested workflow, not the brief or client the customer used.
Call Sassafraz in Toronto at 416-964-2222 and press 2 for private events. Ask whether the Bellair room is free on [date] from [start] to [finish] for [seated headcount] at one table. If not, ask for the next open dates. Get the food and beverage minimum, an all in per person estimate including tax and gratuity, and what changes if our budget is [amount] CAD. Ask for a courtesy hold and when it expires, but do not agree to a deposit or minimum. Have the proposal sent to the email I give you privately, and read it back letter by letter. Then make the same call to [other venues] and give me one table comparing them.
Hear the Sassafraz call on the examples page.
