New York Carnival

What happens the day after the world ends? Well, it just keeps on turning, same as before. After all, a piddly little alien invasion is no excuse to give up on good food and better conversation.

This is a story about a restaurant in the ruins of New York, and the humans and aliens who pass through it:
A human chef de cuisine looking for a reason to pick himself back up the day after an alien invasion flattened his hometown.
A crocodilian huntress looking for insight from the newest pack predators on the galactic stage.
A prickly cidery heiress looking for a new culture to join after her whole worldview got turned upside-down.
A marsupial housewife looking for a new homeworld on which to start a family.
And an old ovine soldier looking for a reason to keep on living.

Hopefully, they'll all find what they're looking for.

This story takes place in the Nature of Predators universe, but does not require having previously read that series. That story's author has authorized donation-based monetization of derivative works.