Sardine, a French-inspired restaurant in downtown Madison, had 70 employees when it closed in 2020. As staff prepared to reopen in mid-May at half capacity, they were a tight team of 38. 

Reopening Sardine is a five-episode series of The Corner Table, a podcast about food and drink in Madison. Produced and hosted by Cap Times food editor Lindsay Christians and Chris Lay, this five-part series goes behind the scenes at the reopening of one of Madison's most beloved restaurants. 

This week we're talking with staff as they adjust to changes in tipping processes, new menu items, fresh cocktails and different ways of working with diners. The staff is fully vaccinated, but the ways of service have changed. 

We'll hear from general manager Susan Schueller as well as bartenders and servers about their pandemic year, and what it takes to reopen a restaurant as ambitious and beloved as this one.