What’s the ideal number of commercial kitchen sinks?
Rinsing your fresh produce, cleaning your hands, washing up cookware, where would you be without a sink in your commercial kitchen? Every great commercial kitchen needs a high quality commercial kitchen sink or two, but what's the ideal number of sinks?
The answer of just how many commercial kitchen sinks you should have in tyr kitchen depends on a number of different factors which we'll discuss below. But generally, there are three main types of commercial sinks that most commercial kitchens possess:
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Hand-washing sinks
This sink is specifically used for sanitising your hands before and after preparing food. -
Food prep basins and sinks
Your kitchen staff will use this sink solely for preparing food “ washing fruit and vegetables, and adding water to dishes when cooking. -
Cleaning sinks
The cleaning sink is where your kitchen staff will rinse and clean large cookware like soup pots and utensils after preparing food with them.
Why have three different commercial sinks?
The reason why most kitchens will have three different sinks is to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. It's especially important to differentiate between the sanitisation sink and the food prep sink, for example, so that bacteria can't travel from one area to the next.
How many of these sinks should your commercial kitchen have?
Different kitchens need a different number of sinks. If you're running a small cafe, you won't need the same number of kitchen sinks as an RSL or pub which seats 100 patrons and may even have separate prep kitchens to account for. Here are some of the main factors to consider when making your decision:
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Size
Size is the biggest factor when determining the number of commercial sinks to install in your kitchen. Though you'll probably have three sinks no matter what, the bigger the kitchen space and the more customers you serve, the more sinks you'll require. -
Staff
The number of staff you have should also be taken into account. You can't have 6 kitchen staff crowding around the food prep basin at any given time. Make sure your kitchen design allows for your staff to have breathing space, maximising efficiency and safety.
Sink material
You can have all the sinks in the world, but if they're not made from the right stuff, then your kitchen won't go very far. Always make sure your kitchen commercial sinks are made from high quality stainless steel such as:
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304 stainless steel
Commercial grade metal which contains chromium and nickel, giving it excellent corrosion-resistant qualities. -
430 stainless steel
Less corrosion-resistant than 304 stainless steel due to 0% nickel content, but costs less and is easier to replace.
The number of commercial sinks you’ll need in your hospitality business really depends on your unique situation. We have all the expert advice you’ll need to ensure you can make an informed and educated decision on the type of commercial sink that will best suit you.
Be sure to take all these factors into account when planning the latest addition to your commercial kitchen or hospitality space. Be sure to take into account factors like the size of your space, the needs of your business, the number of employees that will be using your commercial sink and the type of material your sink will be made from.
When you take all these factors into consideration you can rest assured that you are getting the best possible commercial sink for your kitchen space. Our team of experts at Flexikitch can ensure that you are making an informed decision that will ensure the best possible outcome for your business. Take the guesswork out of how many commercial sinks you will need for your kitchen and trust our dedicated team at Flexikitch.
Need a hand when deciding how many sinks to install in your commercial kitchen? Talk to the experts at Flexikitch. They're Australia's leading team of hospitality financiers and design specialists. Flexikitch help you and your kitchen thrive by installing the best equipment at the best price.