Quality commercial work tables are imperative to the productivity and efficiency of your kitchen. They come in dozens of sizes with a variety of options, including undershelves and backsplashes, and can have square, rounded, or countertop corners to accommodate virtually every need. If you know the specific properties of the kitchen work table you'd like to purchase, our work table selection tool will quickly locate all of the tables that meet your specifications.

How to choose commercial work tables and stations

  • Material Types

The primary difference in quality, and therefore price, between stainless kitchen worktables, is determined by the materials used to build them. Different grades of stainless steel are used, with 304 steel generally being the highest you'll encounter. It is composed with 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel, earning the alloy its other name, 18-8 stainless. That high nickel content gives the metal a good resistance to corrosion, making it a great choice for table surfaces that may come in contact with food, especially salty foods and acidic products like fruit and vegetables.

The more economically-priced alternative, 430 stainless, contains less nickel and 17 percent chromium. That composition leaves the steel a little more susceptible to corrosion, so it's not recommended as a choice for table tops that will come into direct contact with food or be used in humid environments like walk-in coolers. Instead, consider 430 stainless work tables for extending your countertops, using them for light dry storage, or as homes for smaller pieces of countertop equipment.

For premium tables, 300- and 400-series steel alloys are also used to make table legs and optional undershelves, but on standard and economy-priced tables, a third material comes into play: galvanized steel. Galvanized steel is protected with a coating of zinc to help it resist corrosion. This type is not quite as durable or easy to clean as stainless steel, but that's rarely a detriment because galvanized steel is used on surfaces that don’t come into contact with food.

One final number to look at when you're considering a stainless steel work table is the gauge of the metal. This figure measures the thickness of the material, with 18, 14, and 16 being the most common three. The smaller the number, the thicker the metal, so lower gauges offer more resistance to damage and come at a higher price. Economical models typically have 16- or 18-gauge metal. The premium option is 14-gauge steel, which offers the most resilience to abuse and everyday wear and tear.

Consider whether you need a work table with or without a backsplash. The purpose of that element is to keep food and debris from falling behind the table, helping to keep surrounding floors and walls clean. The most common backsplashes are 1.5-inches tall, but 5- and 10-inch backsplashes can be specified for particularly messy applications.

  • Equipment Stands

Equipment stands are very similar to work tables in construction and appearance, but they differ in function. As their name suggests, these pieces are designed to hold equipment that doesn't have its own legs or base to stand on. That includes everything from griddles and broilers to ovens and steamers - heavier equipment that needs the support a countertop can't safely provide.

Equipment stands are lower than work tables, so the equipment they hold will sit at a comfortable working height. The same materials are used to build these tables, with stainless steel being the premium offering and galvanized the economical alternative. Equipment stands almost always have raised edges to provide a secure resting area for equipment so it's less likely to slip or slide off if the stand is jostled.

You'll frequently see equipment stands that include casters. This is so equipment can easily be wheeled around to different parts of the kitchen and stored away when not in use. This is particularly helpful if your menu changes frequently and you find yourself using equipment on a seasonal basis or only during certain times of the week. It's also great for allowing multiple workstations to use a single piece of equipment, like a mixer or slicer. As with work tables, you'll find equipment stands with and without undershelves. Those without can give you space on the floor for storage, while the inclusion of a shelf can give you a health-inspector-approved spot for holding boxes of food.

Another common feature is the inclusion of pan slides built into the base of the equipment stand. This feature is great to have when the stand is used to hold an oven. The pan slides let you stage pans of bread until they're ready to be baked and give you a place to conveniently rest products while they cool.

  • Dish Tables

A well-designed dish room can save innumerable hours of labor, prevent lost and broken tableware, and cut down on operating costs. There are several dish tables made specifically for the dish room that can help you maximize the efficiency of that important space. The right setup will keep employees safe and comfortable, and it can also maintain sanitary conditions and improve customer satisfaction when you serve food on clean dishes.

Once your dishes have been bussed and sorted, the scrap sink is generally their next stop, where they're pre-rinsed and prepared to go into the dishwasher or main wash sink. You'll find dish tables with those scrap sinks built-in that include cutouts for mounting faucets. U-shaped dish tables include a sink, a sorting rack, and a space for staging dishracks for the dish machine. Both of these pieces often include a "lip-in" on one end that's designed to interface smoothly with dish machines, so dishracks can be slid right in.

Because clean dishes and soiled dishes should never be allowed to touch the same surface, placing a dish table on either side of sinks and dish machines give staff a place to rest dishes before and after they're washed and sanitized. Dish tables are available in a number of different sizes and shapes, including straight lines and L-shapes designed for installation in a corner, so you can align them with your dish machine wherever it's situated.

Where to buy commercial work tables and stations

You can search on the Internet and find the nearest store around you or shop online.

Why choose WOWCOOLER to buy commercial work tables and stations

As a professional manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment, WOWCOOLER keeps improving the quality of products and services in accordance with the concept to safeguard the security and healthiness of catering service to better satisfy the customer’s needs and demands. We provide tons of different charger plates for your various needs.