A good dish room moves everything in one direction: dirty ware comes in at one end, gets scraped and pre-rinsed, goes through the dish machine or the three compartment sink, and leaves clean at the other end without crossing back through the dirty side. Lay it out in that order, drop-off, scrape, wash, clean landing, storage, and size each station for your busiest rush, not an average hour.
The template, station by station
| Station | What goes there | What to size it for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Drop-off | Soiled dishtable, bus tub landing | The pile that arrives in your busiest 15 minutes |
| 2. Scrape and pre-rinse | Pre-rinse bowl in the soiled table, pre-rinse faucet, scrap basket | One person scraping without reaching across clean ware |
| 3. Wash | Dish machine, or a three compartment sink | Your largest pan has to fit the sink bowls |
| 4. Clean landing | Clean dishtable or drainboard | Racks that sit draining before they can be put away |
| 5. Storage | Shelving and rack storage near the line | Clean ware going back without passing the dirty side |
| 6. Pot washing | Separate three compartment sink if volume needs it | Sheet pans, stock pots and hotel pans |
| 7. Handwashing | Hand sink near the clean end | Staff switching from dirty to clean work |
Drop-off and scraping
The soiled side is where most dish rooms jam. A soiled dishtable with a built-in pre-rinse bowl gives staff one place to land bus tubs, knock food off plates and load racks. Our Prepline soiled tables are 30 in. deep in 36 or 48 in. lengths, with a 20 x 20 x 5 in. pre-rinse bowl and a 3.5 in. drain basket that keeps scraps out of the drain. Over the bowl, a wall mount pre-rinse unit does the spraying: the one we list has 8 in. centers, a spring action gooseneck with spray valve and a 12 in. add-on faucet for filling.
If you wash by hand instead of by machine, a three compartment sink pre rinse basket does the scraping job on the sink itself. Ours is 19.5 x 19.5 x 3.5 in. in 18 gauge 304 stainless and rides on two sliding rails across a compartment, so scraps stay in the basket instead of the drain.
Wash
With a dish machine, the soiled table feeds the machine’s entry side and the clean table takes racks from the exit side. Dishtables come as left and right side models, named for the side of the machine they sit on when you face it, so check the direction your machine runs before you order. Our guide on left or right side dishtables walks through it.
Without a machine, the FDA Food Code requires a sink with at least three compartments for manually washing, rinsing and sanitizing, and the compartments must be large enough to immerse the largest equipment and utensils (Food Code 4-301.12). If your biggest sheet pan or stock pot does not fit the bowls, the Code points you to a warewashing machine or other approved equipment for those items. Measure your largest pan before you choose a sink.
Clean landing and air drying
The Food Code requires drainboards, utensil racks or tables large enough to hold all the soiled and cleaned items that may build up during hours of operation (Food Code 4-301.13). Clean ware also has to drain and air dry; cloth drying of cleaned and sanitized ware is allowed only in limited cases (Food Code 4-901.11). That is why the clean side needs as much space as the dirty side. Our Prepline clean dishtables are 16 gauge 304 stainless, 30 in. deep, in 36 and 48 in. lengths; the PCDT-36L and PCDT-48R are on backorder at the moment.
Storage
Put clean storage on the clean side of the room, close to the line. Tubular wall shelves made for glass and dish racks keep racks off wet counters, and an underbar glass rack cabinet with rack slides works where a bar shares the dish room. The Food Code requires clean equipment and utensils to be stored in a clean, dry place, away from splash and dust, at least 6 inches above the floor, and in a self-draining position that allows air drying (Food Code 4-903.11).
Handwashing
The Food Code requires a handwashing sink located to allow convenient use by employees in warewashing areas (Food Code 5-204.11). Put it near the clean end, where staff go from handling dirty plates to unloading clean racks. A hand sink at the far side of the kitchen does not get used between those jobs.
Mistakes to avoid
- A layout where clean racks pass the scrap station on their way out.
- Soiled and clean tables ordered for the same side of the machine.
- A clean table too short for the racks that pile up in a rush.
- No floor drain near the pre-rinse area, so the floor stays wet all shift.
- Pot washing squeezed into the same three compartment sink the line needs for utensils during service.
Frequently asked questions
How much room does a small dish room need?
There is no single number in the Food Code. Start from your equipment: a 48 in. soiled table, the machine or sink, and a 48 in. clean table in a straight line need the sum of their lengths plus clearance at each end. An L shape around a corner saves length if the room is short.
Can the pot sink and the dish sink be the same sink?
In a small kitchen, often yes, if the bowls fit your largest pans and the sink is free when you need it. Your local health department has the final say on whether one sink is enough for your menu and volume.
Where should the hand sink go?
Close enough that staff use it when they switch from dirty to clean work, which usually means next to the clean table or between the clean table and the line.
Do I need a pre-rinse faucet if I have a dish machine?
Most dish rooms use one, because food left on plates ends up in the machine’s wash water. A scrap basket on a compartment sink does the same job where there is no machine.
Next steps
Compare models in our dishtables, dishwashing equipment, three compartment sinks, glass and dish rack storage and hand sinks.
Before you order
- Measure the space and every doorway on the delivery path, and compare them with the dimensions on each product page.
- Check the spec sheet for power, gas or water requirements and match them to what your building has.
- Compare capacity with your busiest day rather than your average day.
- Read the warranty terms for the brand before you order.
Delivery, warranty and payment
- Delivery: delivery within the continental US is included in the price on the product page, and freight orders include liftgate service.
- Warranty: each product carries its manufacturer warranty. Terms by brand are on our warranty page.
- Financing: lease-to-own financing through Clicklease is offered on items of $500 and up. See how financing works.
- Quotes: buying for a business and need a written quote? Call +1-877-558-2253 or use our contact page.
Not sure which model fits?
Call +1-877-558-2253 with your space, power supply and daily volume, and we will help you narrow it down.