Streamline Your Food Service Business with Prep Tables
Prep tables are a necessary staple for any food service business. They offer the convenience of a countertop, allowing you to assemble ingredients quickly. Read on to find out how inexpensive prep tables help streamline your operation.
What types of prep tables are available?Affordable prep tables come in an assortment of styles to accommodate the demand for specialty dishes. Made from food-grade stainless steel, they are available in various configurations. The most common models include the following:
- Sandwich prep tables - These have shallow cutting boards for slicing bread and chopping salad ingredients. Standard sizes include the 27-inch sandwich prep table and the 60-inch sandwich prep table.
- Pizza prep tables - This type of table features a deep cutting area with a raised rail along the top for pans.
- Refrigerated prep tables – A cooling unit, also known as a lowboy refrigerator, keeps ingredients chilled between 33 and 41 degrees. Refrigerated sandwich prep tables cool foods by either an air-cooling system, cold wall method, or a liquid jacket design.
- Cabinet prep tables – These units offer ample space for dry ingredients.
- Filler prep tables - These low-priced prep tables extend the workspace between stoves and cabinets.
There are many factors to examine, such as size and features. Consider the space available to accommodate the unit, the room required for prepping and storage, and the traffic in the kitchen.
- Prep surface – The surface area should provide enough room to assemble all the ingredients necessary to make signature dishes. Generally, the more ingredients used, the more room you’ll need.
- Storage options – A unit may feature doors, drawers, or shelves. Some prep tables have a combination of all three. The door units have refrigeration or cabinet space to store a variety of ingredients. Drawer units offer space for pans with pre-cut ingredients, so you can exchange the empty ones needed. Shelves keep ingredients visible for quick access without opening doors or drawers.
- Legs and casters– Stable legs keep the table in place, while casters provide mobility for moving the unit to different areas of the kitchen.
- Lids – This feature fits over the rail to keep ingredients safe for consumption.
- Rounded corners – Curved edges help prevent injury if workers bump into the table.
You'll find many uses for used sandwich prep tables and sandwich coolers, including:
- Transporting items inside the restaurant to an outdoor patio
- Displaying foods in a cafeteria
- Storing dirty dishes after cleaning behind customers who eat at the bar