The Reservation

by Rebecca Kauffman, Jonathan Todd Ross (Narrator)

The Reservation explores the loves and labors of an ensemble of more than a dozen restaurant workers as they strive to get perfect meals to table—for fans of "The Bear," Elizabeth Strout, and Jennifer Egan

Early morning on the day of the most important booking in this august establishment's history, the discovery of the theft of 22 ribeye steaks roils Aunt Orsa's. Hers is the finest restaurant in this midwestern college town and Orsa anticipates a large party that will honor a very special guest, the bestselling author, a writer of international renown.

And what's up with the recent Yelp reviews, insulting to frankly terrible? Is Orsa, who wants only to be loved, being sabotaged on several fronts? And now no one is above suspicion, not the pretty Mennonite baker nor the tatted-up hard-ass chef de cuisine nor the various servers nor the great-looking, if unsure, co-ed working as hostess.

Rebecca Kauffman's talent for crafting rich, empathetic characters is on full display in The Reservation, where she guides a vibrant cast through a single, high-stakes day in the life of a bustling restaurant. With her signature wit and spirit, Kauffman serves up a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the drama, grace, and grit it takes to bring a beautiful meal to the table—served with a side of chaos.

Genres: Fiction, Food, Mystery, Contemporary, Audiobook, Literary Fiction, Adult

Audible Audio

First published February 24, 2026

About the author

Rebecca Kauffman is originally from rural northeastern Ohio. She received her B.A. from the Manhattan School of Music in Violin Performance, and her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from NYU. She currently lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published February 24, 2026.

4.5 stars

I LOVE a good fly on the wall restaurant story, where you see the mechanics behind how everything that it takes to get the food in the back door to your plate, so this was perfect for me; usually these books are non-fiction though, so it was nice to have a fiction example to mix it up a little. This was a bit of a mystery, plus a great character study of a number of people who work in the restaurant, the nicest one in a smallish college town.

Here, each person gets a chance to have part of the tale come from their point of view and then add to that a tease with John Grisham (maybe…..) I enjoyed every minute I spent with the owners, staff and guests of Aunt Orsa’s. Highly recommend this.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rebecca Kauffman became an "auto-buy" author for me after I read Chorus and Another Place You've Never Been. Comparisons to Elizabeth Strout were fitting. I read her other three novels and liked them very much, so my expectations were high for this latest release, The Reservation. I'm not sure if my 3-star rating reflects my expectations or my comparisons to her other works, or both, but it's where the novel landed for me after reading the final page.

The story centers around one full working day in a fine dining restaurant somewhere in a midwestern college town. A famous mystery writer is being honored this very evening which coincides with a mystery brewing within the restaurant itself when in the first chapter the Operations Assistant discovers twenty-two steaks are missing. Each of the following fifteen chapters is a perspective from the other people connected to the restaurant in some way; the owner, the pastry chef, the servers, etc. The differing perspectives provide a deeper look into each person as well as continuing the drama unfolding in the restaurant.

This is a conceptually creative novel that I wish I had liked more than I did. I still look forward to pre-ordering Kauffman's next novel, though.

[Meagan (Meagansbookclub) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh- I had high hopes but this was a huge miss for me.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

This slight but enjoyable novel goes behind the scenes at a restaurant—the best fine dining place in the small town where it’s located—in the days leading up to an exciting event: a very large party, including novelist John Grisham, will be eating there following a nearby literary event. But there’s also an upsetting distraction in the hours leading up to the arrival of the large party: 22 porterhouse steaks have gone missing, and the owner intends to get to the bottom of it immediately. Individual chapters are devoted to each of the major players: the owner, her husband (her major investor), the bartender, the chef, the pastry chef, the sous-chef, a couple of the servers, the bartender, the busboy, etc., etc. The book is posing as a mild mystery—who stole the steaks? why?—but it’s not, really: it’s an affectionate portrait of the community that makes this restaurant sing. Fun.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel sounded intriguing because it was set in a restaurant; however, it did not fulfill its potential. The plot revolves around the theft of steaks on the day that John Grisham had a reservation at the restaurant. Each worker in the restaurant (front and back of the house) is suspected. A chapter is devoted to each worker, and their background and current stories are revealed. The background and current life stories were nicely done; however, they were not enough to make this novel work for me.


PS - For me 3 stars means I liked the novel and thought is was good; 4 means really good and meaningful; and 5 I give very seldom and only to very special (IMO) books. So, my 2 stars just means that it was ok.

[Lyon.Brit.andthebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Report: The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffman

Set over the course of a single…high stakes day…The Reservation drops us into the elegant chaos of Aunt Orsa’s…a beloved fine dining restaurant on the brink of hosting its most important reservation yet. When 22 ribeye steaks go missing and a wave of brutal online reviews threatens Orsa’s carefully curated legacy…suspicion ripples through every corner of the restaurant. From the kitchen to the front of house to the diners themselves…we follow a rotating cast of characters whose lives intersect in the controlled frenzy it takes to get one perfect meal on the table🍽️✨

This book was an absolute delight. I loved the tight one day timeframe and the way Rebecca Kauffman zooms in on each role that makes a restaurant run…from hostess to server to chef…with such care and precision. As someone whose first job was hosting and then waitressing at a family owned restaurant…this stirred up so many memories. The accuracy of the dynamics…the quiet hierarchies…the stress and the small moments of connection felt spot on. I especially loved the added layers of mystery and the inclusion of the clientele’s perspectives…which made the whole experience feel rich and alive. This was my first Rebecca Kauffman novel and it definitely won’t be my last💛

Thank you Counterpoint for the ecopy

Releases 2/24

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[Jennifer Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reads like a writing exercise, in which the author writes a background and motivations for one character and then moves on to the next.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 I love this writer. She captures the human condition for me every time. This book reminds me everybody has a story, there is so much more than what we see or know about people. This was funny at times, fun, a mystery, but best of all a touching novel with characters I fell in love with.

[Mary Lins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a huge fan of Rebecca Kauffman’s novels so I was excited to get my hands on her latest, “The Reservation”. She does not disappoint!

Welcome to Aunt Orsa’s upscale restaurant. It’s a beautiful late October day in 2013, and tonight the famous mystery writer John Grisham will be a guest there for dinner!

But upon inspection in the morning, the Operations Assistant, Danny (Orsa’s nephew), discovers that 22 Ribeye steaks are missing (stolen!) and it’s the signature dish on the menu.
Orsa is on a mission to figure out who stole the steaks (and why).

That’s the setup for Kauffman’s wonderful “character stew” storytelling style for which she is known, loved, and admired! She can capture a character in just a few paragraphs; while you feel you’ve read a while book about them.

The only flaw is that is that it was over too soon! I wasn’t ready to leave these characters! I wanted more (I ALWAYS do!) This one’s going on my Top Ten for 2026 List for sure!

[Alix · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I normally don’t like multi-POV stories because the characters can feel flat or repetitive, but here it really worked for me. Despite the large cast and the limited page time each person gets, they all had distinct voices and real depth.

The story revolves around the theft of 22 steaks, told from the perspective of each restaurant worker. I found the little intricacies of running the restaurant fascinating and the cast as a whole was incredibly interesting. I definitely had a few favorite characters.

We get a big climax at the end where everyone’s secrets come out and the thief is revealed. It was genuinely entertaining and I was surprised by the culprit. The novel closes on a slightly wistful note, but overall I really liked it, mostly because of how well written it was and how dynamic the characters felt.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Reservation is a low stakes mystery centered around a higher end restaurant set in a small college town. On the day of the story the restaurant has a reservation for a popular author later that night but once inventory takes place for the dinner’s service, the owner becomes aware that they are missing 22 ribeye steaks which are the headline for star reservation. What ensues is an investigation for the ribeyes, their thief and a possible smear campaign that threatens the future of the restaurant.

The mystery is the draw, but the characters’ stories are the meal of this story. Each character and their background is slower dripped out for the reader. Their motivations, their trauma, and their responsibilities within the establishment. Kaufmann does a fantastic job of guiding the reader through the different aspects of restaurant work including drama to keep the reader engaged. Overall quick mystery, character centered story for readers interested in American restaurant service culture.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read about a day/night in a busy restaurant with each chapter told by a different staff member or person associated with the restaurant. This particular day is unique because there's a reservation in the evening for a party including author John Grisham and 12 ribeye steaks have gone missing. I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes of the restaurant that did not get too into the weeds and each character's story kept my interest.

[Darath Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️. This was a quick read. An interesting concept of trying to solve a mystery while actually focusing more on introducing each of the characters to the reader. Each character is given one chapter, most fairly short. I wished they would have been developed a bit more but it was still entertaining.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

So okay, I like reading books about dysfunctional people; we're just more interesting 😉.
Restaurant employees prep for a star guest. There's a theft, the snitch, lots of gossip, the crazy boss lady and revealing of everybody's secrets. A fun quick read.

[Katy O. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this novel so excited about a restaurant story, but for some reason, despite being set entirely in a restaurant, it didn’t feel like a restaurant novel. Sure it talked about restaurant things the entire time but no one involved felt incredibly invested in THIS restaurant.

But ultimately, I think my main issue is that with each chapter from the perspective of a different character, we never got deeply into the psyche of any one person, leaving the story overall feeling flat.

A swing and a miss for me, unfortunately.

Source: public library hardcover

[Gila Gila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how editors decide to label one set of connected stories as a novel, and release another as “short stories”. For example, Anthony Marra’s exquisite first book, The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories, felt to me very much like a novel told in parts, over time; The Reservation, referred to as a novel, barely reads as a completed collection of stories. (Ouch, perhaps I’ve inadvertently answered my own question here, this is a novel as opposed to a collection because it all takes place over one brief period, maybe?) Stories or novel, my biggest issue here was that each chapter read like lengthy second draft notes for a book in the process of being written. There’s a lack of cohesion, strings left not only untied, but fluttering about.

To be fair, once I fully gathered the premise, my mood had already soured. I like Rebecca Kauffman’s voice and went in not expecting much more than a restaurant saga revolving around a mysterious theft of some very expensive steaks (quel horreur, whispers Poirot), and whom the culprit might be. Discovering that the restaurant was in uproar because this was a particularly bad night to lose the Beef because John Grisham had a reservation for himself and friends made me wince. Such low hanging fruit, why not pick a lesser known author, go for an inside joke? If I wasn’t already feeling done with The Reservation I’d go look up what Kauffman’s connection to Grisham was. Eh, not knowing is on me.

As the search for the steaks and their thief goes on, each chapter focuses on an individual restaurant worker or guest, only one of whom, Greg, is fully fleshed and memorable. All said and done, there was nothing to latch on to. Not an unpleasant read, just in one ear and out the other, leaving me wondering what the original goal had been.

Finally, an irritation: those endless sentences beginning with, "Shannon said ..." “Orsa said..." "Edgar said..." etc. This is Kauffman's 9th book, how is her editor passing this through? Nobody gets their steaks back til I have an answer. Pass the A-1.

[alexa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. It was fun & a bit silly but entertained & had reflective moments.

[Hannah Gatto · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.8 ⭐️

[Gina *loves sunshine* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how this ended up in my library - but it was OK listen. Slightly entertaining with it's restaurant scene. A bit of a quirky storyline but also somewhat normal day to day behind the scenes in restaurant hospitality -If you have ever worked in a restaurant you will find familiarity!! It was short and sweet!

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely quick to read. I recommend doing it in 2 to 3 sittings, since there are quite a lot of characters and I noticed I forgot who was who if I left a break of a few days between readings.

The conversations between the characters flow as naturally as in real life and I loved how complex and real all of their stories were.

[Stephanie Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I liked Rebecca Kauffman’s new book The Reservation, and felt the first half had good momentum but it kind of lost its focus at the end. Told from various points of view, The Reservation tells the story of a fine dining restaurant gearing up for a dinner with a big celebrity author attending. But early the morning of the reservation, a box of steaks goes missing. The story follows the entire staff throughout the day, getting ready for the dinner shift (just like the Hulu hit series The Bear) while the owner is trying to suss out who the thief is. What ensues is a deep dive into the underworking of a restaurant which is quite fascinating. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, the story kind of hits a lull towards the end and leaves a few too many plot points unfinished. I think it it had been a tidier ended I would have given it a higher star rating. .

[Geonn Cannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if it stacks up to The Bear comparisons, but I really liked the style of jumping between characters during a single busy night at a restaurant. Also it's weird to me when books use a real life person as a character... I just read a short story collection that had Samuel L Jackson in one story, and this has John Grisham. It's just... odd.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rebecca Kauffman has been on my radar for awhile, but this is my first book by her. This was like a character study of a restaurant. I loved the constant switching snippets of all of the characters’ inner thoughts and struggles while keeping the overall storyline moving forward to solve the mystery of the missing steaks. I really appreciate when an author does such a good job exploring characters’ psyches. I have definitely worked for an Aunt Orsa before - good intentions and wants to be adored by her employees, but also self-centered and tone deaf to who her employees are as people.

I really debated giving the book 5 stars, but at the end of the day, I wanted more of an emotional pull to the characters. I did read it over the course of a really busy weekend and I was a little distracted, so maybe the issue was me (not the book). This makes me intrigued to read more of Kauffman in the future.

[Kendal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book - behind the scenes at a restaurant that is getting ready to host John Grisham and is also trying to solve a mystery of some missing steaks? Advertised as a slower paced version of “The Bear”. Yes chef! Each chapter is from the viewpoint of a different staff member. Unfortunately this structure felt gimmicky and actually took away from my enjoyment of the story. Some staff members are never heard from again after their chapter. Other times we read the same event from different staff perspectives and instead of providing more insight it just seemed reparative. I did really enjoy Jane the Mennonite pastry chef, Edgar the Guatemalan prep cook, Rhea the head waitress, and Darius the bartender. But I feel sure this would have been a better reading experience if the scope of the story was reigned in.

[Michele Dancer · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the day the best restaurant in a small Midwestern college town is anticipating the arrival of a famous author as a guest, things begin to fall apart. First 22 of 24 steaks disappear and the only suspects are employees, then a flurry of negative reviews appear online, followed by the dishwasher breaking down for no obvious reason. Is it all sabotage? The owner, Orsa, is determined to get to the bottom of it, all the while trying to understand what she has done to deserve it.
The plot described above serves only to provide a framework for what is a character study of the employees of the restaurant. Each chapter features the backstory of one employee with the headings of chef, server, hostess, baker, etc. This would normally drive me crazy. Kauffman, however, does a beautiful job of creating fully-fleshed out, interesting, sometimes frustrating, often endearing characters who come so alive on the page. There isn't a miss in the group.
There's no fifth star because I wasn't really crazy about the reveal of the responsible party. It made sense but after spending all that time in the company of these fascinating characters, it just fell a little flat for me. Still, an extremely well-written, enjoyable read.

[Christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love all things restaurants and food, this was a fun and quirky novel set over one day looking at the inner workings of restaurant life and those who work in it.

“In fact, Glen realized, it was almost like a miracle if you thought about it in a certain way-the fact that, in a world where words could mean anything and therefore nothing, there were other ways to say: ‘I’ve tried my hardest, I’ve done my best; I hope you will enjoy and perhaps even remember this small thing I have prepared for you.’”

[Riley T · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars. I was taken aback by how much I loved this - a gorgeous reminder those around us have full lives we may know nothing about. It is imperative to treat strangers, colleagues, friends with kindness and respect in the same way we hope they will reflect those kindnesses back to us. Glen was a beautiful character.

[Jasmine Kuo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this via audiobook. First time reading this author. Short but sweet story with a fun multi-character POV format set in a full day at a restaurant. Central conflict was a low-stakes mystery that I wasn’t very invested in. What I liked were the character studies and getting to hear the different voices of each narrator and the setting of the restaurant dynamic.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A day in the life of the people who work at a fine dining restaurant in a small midwestern college town. Each chapter focuses on a different employee and their reaction to the news that twenty-two steaks had been stolen. The characters are well drawn and necessitate empathy from the reader.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars