In many jurisdictions, yes, and even where it is not written into the rules you will need somewhere other than the hand sink to pour out leftover drinks and ice. Some health departments require a dump sink in every bar, while others only ask that the hand sink and the wash sink are not used for dumping.
Next to the bar sink, a stainless steel bar drainboard gives glasses a place to drain.
Why the hand sink does not count
FDA Food Code section 5-205.11 says a handwashing sink must be kept accessible at all times for employee use and may not be used for purposes other than handwashing. Pouring out a half finished cocktail, emptying a shaker or dumping ice into the hand sink is a violation of that rule. It also leaves fruit, straws and ice in the bowl, which blocks the next person from washing.
That leaves a bartender with three options for waste liquid: a dedicated dump sink, a compartment of the bar’s wash sink, or a bucket. The last two cause problems during service, which is why inspectors and plan reviewers push for a dedicated bowl.
What health departments actually require
The Food Code sections we checked for this article do not name a dump sink requirement. Local rules fill the gap, and they vary:
- Some local health departments require one outright. One county health district in Washington State, for example, publishes that a dump sink is required in bars or taverns near the three compartment sink or warewashing machine in the beverage service area, that it must be indirectly plumbed with an air gap, and that a hand sink may not be used as a dump sink.
- Others do not list a dump sink by name but will cite you if drinks go down the hand sink, or if the wash, rinse and sanitize compartments are used for dumping while they are set up for glassware.
- Requirements for blender areas, espresso stations and service bars are often handled case by case during plan review.
Your local health department has the final say, so confirm what it expects behind your bar before you buy.
Drain connection
Food Code section 5-402.11 prohibits a direct connection between the sewage system and a drain from equipment in which food, portable equipment or utensils are placed, with limited exceptions where the law allows. Many jurisdictions apply an indirect drain with an air gap to dump sinks and other bar sinks. Whether yours does, and where the waste line must discharge, is a question for your health department and your plumbing inspector. Settle it before the bar is built, because floor sinks are hard to add later.
Common problems
- Dumping into the hand sink. This is the most frequent finding at bars and the easiest to avoid.
- Dumping into the sanitizer compartment. Leftover drinks dilute and foul the solution, so the glassware behind it is no longer being sanitized properly.
- Dump sink too far from the well. If the bartender has to walk to it, the nearest bowl gets used instead.
- No strainer. Fruit, mint and straws clog a small drain quickly. A basket strainer or perforated insert keeps the line clear.
- Blender waste with no outlet. A blender station without its own dump sink sends thick, pulpy waste to whichever sink is closest.
- Melting ice into the ice bin. Used ice never goes back in the bin or down its drain path.
What to buy
Place the dump point within arm’s reach of where drinks are made and returned.
- Underbar sinks sized for your glassware, with a separate bowl or a standalone unit for dumping.
- Blender stations with a built-in dump sink, so blender rinse water and leftovers have their own drain.
- Mixology stations that combine the ice bin, speed rail and work surface in one unit beside the dump point.
- Hand sinks kept clear and stocked for handwashing only.
- Ice bins positioned so nothing gets dumped over them.
Express KitchQuip’s own stainless steel line is NSF certified. Freight to the 48 contiguous states is included in the price.