Do You Need Two Sinks in a Commercial Kitchen?

The number of sinks in your commercial kitchen might not be the first thing you think about when you start a food business. Yet this seemingly minor detail is actually a fundamental part of both your kitchen workflow and your food safety obligations.

As much as commercial dishwashers have reduced the reliance on sinks in many establishments, they’re still necessary for a variety of reasons—and you do often need two. Here’s everything but the kitchen sink that you could need to know about…commercial kitchen sinks.

The uses of sinks in commercial kitchens

Most of the focus when designing a commercial kitchen will go on the most expensive appliances such as ovens and dishwashers. Yet for as much as can be automated and expedited, the humble sink still plays a central role in the kitchen. The typical uses of sinks in commercial kitchens include:

Handwashing

Hygiene is incredibly important to any food business. It’s important that kitchen staff wash their hands regularly, particularly after handling any raw food, but it’s also important that a sink is dedicated to this. Using a sink both for handwashing and other tasks (such as rinsing dishes or food) poses the risk of cross-contamination, something that should be avoided at all costs.

Equipment washing

Almost every kitchen will have a dedicated sink for washing equipment. This might involve cleaning cookware or parts of kitchen appliances, or washing or rinsing dishes, cutlery and other equipment. Even if your commercial kitchen has one or more dishwashers, it’s common to include a sink as part of their workflow, rinsing dishes before adding them to the dishwasher to increase its effectiveness and reduce maintenance and cleaning time.

Food preparation

Food prep should involve the use of a sink. Fruits, vegetables and certain other raw foods (e.g. rice) need to be thoroughly washed before being used, either for food safety or quality reasons. It’s important that this is done in its own sink to avoid contamination, as well as to prevent any bottlenecks where people need to use the sink for another reason.

Does a commercial kitchen need two sinks?

Yes. While there may be some situations in small kitchens where it is logistically difficult to have more than one sink, almost all commercial kitchens should have at least two sinks. This allows for the tasks above (such as food preparation and handwashing) to be split between two different sinks.

As mentioned, this is important for a few different reasons. One is reducing the potential for cross-contamination, as washing your hands after touching raw meat for instance may lead to contaminated droplets around the sink, which could then touch food or equipment that is being rinsed or cleaned in that sink.

Another is simply congestion. Efficient workflows are a vital aspect of any successful commercial kitchen, and only having one sink will inevitably lead to a queue of people trying to use it. This can not only slow down service, but encourage people to neglect certain tasks that require the sink, heightening food safety risks.

How many sinks are needed in a commercial kitchen?

Commercial kitchens typically benefit from having three sinks. One sink will be used for handwashing, a second sink for food preparation, and a third sink for cleaning equipment. This ensures that each major task has its own sink, both reducing cross contamination and preventing significant bottlenecks in a busy kitchen environment.

It may be the case that one task has much greater volume than the others depending on what food you are preparing, and what equipment you are using. In this case, you may even benefit from having more sinks for a specific purpose, or from having one larger sink that can accommodate multiple people at the same time. This is something to think ahead about and plan into your commercial kitchen design. 

Sinks vs commercial dishwashers

We recently put together an article answering every question you could think to ask about commercial dishwashers. What we didn’t talk about at great length is how sinks factor into the dishwashing process, and whether you still need one if you have a commercial dishwasher. The answer is that you might not, but it’s still advisable and even necessary in most cases.

Most commercial dishwashers will form part of a dishwashing station. This will include a sink on one side to rinse dishes before putting them into the dishwasher, and an area to empty the dishwasher on the other side, allowing for any further drying and a space for them to be picked up. The sink is generally advisable to remove some debris so that it doesn’t impede the function of the dishwasher, and to reduce the amount of cleaning and maintenance required.

However, a commercial dishwasher will invariably require less sink space than a commercial kitchen without one, or with a very small one. Combined with the high efficiency of commercial dishwashers, this makes them worth considering where space is at a premium, and where staff would be better employed in other areas, rather than washing dishes and potentially impeding the work of other kitchen staff.

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With more than 30 years of industry experience, Commercial Catering Contracts can help you to design and install your ideal commercial kitchen. We’ll help you figure out how many sinks you need and the best places to put them for efficient workflows, as well as any other equipment you might need. To learn more, get in touch with us today.