Fabricated equipment is a long-term investment; select carefully

Nation's Restaurant News, Nov 18, 1996 by Foster Frable, Jr.

Cooking, refrigeration and dishwashing equipment may be replaced three or four times over the life of a kitchen. However, the stainless-steel fabricated worktables, chefs, counters, pot sinks and dish tables can provide reliable service for the life of a facility if they are built to high standards of quality and configured to ensure future flexibility.

Providing for future flexibility means the equipment can be reused or reconfigured if the menu or layout changes. Mechanical and electrical components like food warmers or refrigeration may last only 10 to 15 years, while quality fabrication can provide useful service for 30 years or longer. Custom building these devices into or as an integral part of a counter diminishes the potential for updating or continued use of that piece of equipment through its full life. It would be better if the fabrication was built as a shell to enclose refrigerators, warmers and other mechanical components that can be replaced while retaining the core piece of fabricated equipment.

The benefits of quality fabrication include having long-lasting equipment with tables that don't sag, doors that don't warp, shelves that don't bow and sinks that don't leak.

Some of the key measures of quality in fabricated equipment include:

Gauge: The higher the gauge of stainless steel, the thinner the metal. For example, 20-gauge stainless steel is ideal for cabinet doors that do not need to support weight, whereas the heavier 20-gauge stainless steel is important to use for the tops of worktables to help ensure stability. Undershelves should be 16-gauge stainless steel. In general, the use of type 304 18/8 stainless steel should be used vs. type 430, which has a tendency to rust.

Bracing: Properly bracing the top of worktables eliminates bowing or sagging. Essential for safety and serviceability, it can be accomplished by using a 1 1/2 inch x 1 1/2 inch x 1/8 inch thick galvanized or stainless-steel angle around the full perimeter of the top, in addition to the 4-inch-wide 12-gauge galvanized or stainless-steel channel bracing down the center of the underside of the tabletop. To ensure strength and durability in open-base tables without cabinets, specify the gussets are to be welded to a corner plate of the framework of the table rather than to the tabletop.

To ensure stability of the table legs, cross bracing tying legs of tables together should be welded rather than bolted. That step will eliminate table wobble when used with slicers or similar-preparation equipment. To maximize strength in overshelves, they should be bolted securely to the tabletop to ensure strength and stability.

Counter Tops: Custom counter tops should have a brushed finish vs. a mill finish. If a welded field joint is required, it can be welded and blended in by the installer. That eliminates the welded, brushed finish and mill finish look on the counter top.

Edges: The choice of edges on fabricated tables and counters can affect their functionality. A straight edge on the side, rather than a round or angled edge, makes it easier to seal to a wall or another piece of equipment. A V-edge - referred to as a marine edge - eliminates water or food waste from running off tables and counters. A U-shaped drip edge on a bakery or pizza worktable can capture flour or cheese rather than have it fall on the floor.

Legs: Legs should be stainless steel, not painted or galvanized. Location of the legs is a balance between providing proper strength for the work tops, vs. cost and cleanability. The ability to clean the floor under the rear of worktables and sinks can be greatly enhanced by providing horizontal braces that attach to the wall, eliminating the need for legs along the rear. That cantilevered design has won the praises of everyone who has had this feature in their kitchen and adds very little additional cost to the equipment.

Adjustable stainless-steel feet outlast cast metal feet particularly on tables that are moved regularly or subject to the abuse from mechanical floor scrubbers and cleaners.

Sinks: Many fabricators will offer single-walled partitioned sinks, which encourage leaks, as the sinks are exposed to heavy use. Double-walled partitioned sinks, which are fully welded, 14-gauge stainless steel with fully covered 3/4 inch radius corners, will provide a long service life for a modest additional cost.

Sinks need to have an easily cleaned backsplash on a 45-degree angle with a 1/2 inch return for the stainless steel that allows the sinks to be sealed with silicone to the wall for a stable, sanitary installation.

Pot Racks: Pot racks should be specified with 1 5/8 inch stainless-steel tubing, installed off the framework on the backside of the sink, with reinforcing pipe inserted into the tubing and installed on a 12-gauge plat to ensure stability and strength.

Sound Deadening: Sheet mastic is the best sound-deadening material and should be installed under the entire top of counters, drain boards and dish tables. Brushed or sprayed-on sound-deadening material is least desirable because over time it tends to flake off.