How to Choose the Right Stainless Steel Table for Your Commercial Kitchen
How to Choose the Right Stainless Steel Table for Your Commercial Kitchen
A good preparation table is one of the most useful pieces of equipment in a commercial kitchen.
Whether you’re fitting out a restaurant, café, takeaway, pub or other catering environment, the right stainless steel table can provide valuable preparation space while helping you make better use of your kitchen.
However, not every table is right for every space.
Size, construction, shelving and where the table will be positioned are all worth considering before making your choice.
Here’s what to look for when choosing a stainless steel catering table for your commercial kitchen.
1. Start With the Available Space
Before looking at different tables, work out exactly how much room you have available.
Measure both the width and depth of the area and remember to consider the space needed for staff to move comfortably around the kitchen.
In a compact preparation area, a smaller table may provide the extra workspace you need without restricting movement.
Larger commercial kitchens may benefit from wider tables that provide more room for ingredients, equipment and everyday food preparation.
Taking accurate measurements before ordering can save you from choosing a table that’s either too large for the space or smaller than you really need.
2. Think About How the Table Will Be Used
Next, consider what you’ll actually be doing on the table.
Will it be a main food preparation station? Is it providing additional workspace beside an appliance? Or do you simply need another practical surface in a busy kitchen?
Understanding its purpose will help determine the amount of workspace you require.
A stainless steel work table used throughout the day for preparation may need more surface area than a smaller table being used as an additional workstation.
3. Choose the Right Table Size
Cater Kitchen’s Economy Stainless Steel Catering Tables are available in a range of practical sizes, including:
- 600mm x 600mm
- 750mm x 600mm
- 900mm x 600mm
- 1200mm x 600mm
- 1500mm x 600mm
This gives commercial kitchens the flexibility to choose a table that suits the available space.
A 600mm-wide table can be useful where space is limited, while 1200mm and 1500mm options provide a much larger working area for busy preparation environments.
Rather than automatically choosing the largest table possible, consider the balance between workspace and the room needed around it.
4. Do You Need a Rear Upstand?
Another feature to consider is an upstand.
An upstand is the raised section along the back of a commercial kitchen table. It’s particularly useful when the table is positioned against a wall, helping protect the area behind the work surface from splashes and everyday food preparation mess.
If your new metal table for the kitchen will sit directly against a wall, a rear upstand may therefore be a useful feature.
For other kitchen layouts, including tables positioned away from walls, a table without an upstand may be more appropriate.
5. Look at the Storage Underneath
Commercial kitchens rarely have too much storage.
A stainless steel table with a lower shelf allows the space beneath the main worktop to become a useful storage area.
Cater Kitchen’s catering tables include adjustable lower shelving, allowing you to make better use of the space below your preparation surface.
This can be particularly useful in smaller kitchens where every available area needs to work harder.
Think about the equipment and items you use regularly and whether having additional storage directly underneath your preparation area would improve your kitchen setup.
6. Don’t Forget About Adjustable Feet
Commercial kitchen floors aren’t always completely level.
That’s why individually adjustable feet are a useful feature on a catering table.
They allow the table to be adjusted to suit the floor beneath it, helping create a stable working surface.
Cater Kitchen’s stainless steel table range includes individually adjustable feet, making it easier to position the table securely within your kitchen.
7. Economy or Premium Stainless Steel?
Cater Kitchen offers both Economy and Premium stainless steel tables, so it’s also worth considering which construction best suits your requirements.
The Economy range features a food-grade stainless steel tabletop with galvanised legs and an adjustable galvanised lower shelf.
For businesses looking for a higher specification, Cater Kitchen’s Premium tables feature full 304 food-grade stainless steel construction across the tabletop, legs and lower shelf.
Your choice will depend on how the table will be used, your required specification and your available budget.
8. Consider the Rest of Your Kitchen Layout
Your table needs to work alongside the rest of your commercial kitchen.
Consider its position in relation to sinks, catering appliances, refrigeration, shelving and other preparation areas.
A well-positioned catering table can provide a useful connection between different areas of the kitchen and give staff the workspace they need without unnecessarily restricting movement.
For kitchens that need additional storage above the preparation area, Cater Kitchen also offers stainless steel wall tables with double over shelves.
Find the Right Stainless Steel Table for Your Kitchen
There’s no single stainless steel table that’s right for every commercial kitchen.
The best choice depends on your available space, how the table will be used, the amount of preparation space you need and the specification you’re looking for.
Taking the time to consider these factors will help you choose a table that fits naturally into your kitchen and provides useful workspace for everyday catering.
Cater Kitchen stocks a range of stainless steel catering tables in different sizes and specifications, including Economy and Premium options.
Browse our stainless steel wall tables and find the right table for your commercial kitchen.
