Question HI,
My husband and I are opening an ice cream/coffee/sandwich in suburban Cook County IL. We will not be making the ice cream on site. At the most we will have a hot dog roller and a panini press for hot food prep. No range/steam kettles/grills/ovens of any kind. My question is about the sink requirements for this kind of establishment. Is it absolutely required to have a 3-compartment sink AND a seperate hand washing sink? ...Both with air gap drains? Does the 3 comp sink HAVE to be NSF approved stainless steel??
Answer Great questions, while I can't answer the question with absolute certainty for your County, most local Health Departments operate under the same model and use the FDA Food Code as a basis for their regulations.
You will need to have a 3-compartment sink, as well as hand washing sinks in each separate prep area of the establishment. Depending on how you layout your equipment, you may need a hand washing sink in the sandwich prep area, and adjacent to the 3-compartment sink. Most Health Departments also require a separate food preparation sink if fresh produce must be washed for menu items (lettuce, tomatoes, etc.).
3-compartment sinks typically cannot be used for produce washing or hand washing, in my jurisdiction and throughout my State, we will not allow the use of a 3-compartment sink for anything other than washing equipment and utensils.
3-compartment sinks, dish machines, food preparation sinks, and drains from equipment such as dipper wells, coffee makers, etc, must be indirectly drained through an air gap. A hand washing sink does not require an indirect connection or air gap.
All equipment you use must be NSF approved, there are sinks that meet approval that are not stainless steel. Sinks that are not NSF approved are welded in a way that prevents easy cleaning of the sink's basins. My jurisdiction typically only requires an NSF approval on a food preparation or 3-compartment sink, however hand sinks can usually be approved whether or not they carry an NSF approval.
