Selling the Workstation Sink...

What you don't see...

I could not stop laughing when I saw that photo. They clearly had to have completely dried off the lobster for the photo shoot. Take a close look. If a consumer tried this in their home, the lobster juice would run all over the countertop and on to the floor. "Their" top tier has the cutting board lipping over the countertop. Without showing it in use, it appears to be functional. Clearly it is not! I think there is a song that goes... Killing me softly...

What they hope you don't realize...

Seriously folks. Are you going to invite guests to your home and serve them like they do at Golden Coral - cafeteria style? This all looks wonderful until you really think things through.

What they hope you do not realize...

Based on several of our current customers who have owned Galley sinks, and similar type workstation sinks in the past, they tell me that many, if not most, of the accessories were only used briefly until the novelty wore off. Then they were permanently stored in the kitchen - taking up valuable storage space. As you can see by my first comment, many of the accessories on all workstation sinks, including ours, may not be very useful for every family. That is why I take the time to learn about the way you cook, prepare meals, etc. With that knowledge, I can suggest the accessories that might be the most beneficial. I always suggest to new workstation buyers to order the basics, then order additional accessories after they use the sink for a while. Many are surprised that the basics are all they need.

Let's compare usable bowl sizes!

If we compare the size sink that will fit in a 72" cabinet, these are the statistics. Their bowl size will be 68 1/2" by 16", equaling 1096 square inches of usable space. Our 72" sink has a bowl size of 18" by 70", equaling 1260 square inches of usable space. Our sink will offer a whopping 164 additional square inches of floor space. Just to give you a reference to the size, an 8 1/2" by 11" sheet of copy paper is only 93.5 square inches. The commonly ordered Miele steam oven racks will not fit on the bottom of their sinks, as they measure just under 18" and the Galley floor is only 16" wide. They will, however, fit on the top ledge and on the bottom of our bowls.

Now my head hurts! Really?

Have you ever seen a butcher ship or a deli use a bamboo cutting surface? Come on. The reason for the bamboo is dollars and cents. They are cheap. Our butcher grade cutting boards are exactly the material that inspectors must see when they inspect butcher shops and deli's. The material we use may look like the other cutting boards you might see, however I am fairly certain there are no companies using the material we use.

Get a sample...

Several years ago I was on the hunt for a black cutting board. I always insist that our products are made in the USA if at all possible. Well, I found a black wood composite board and ordered one. I made several cuts on the board and realized it was horrible and threw it away. The board is too hard to use with sharp knives. It will dull the knives. It also looked awful with just a few cut marks in it. Folks, there is a reason that all butchers and deli's use the exact material we send with our workstation sinks. The material does not get all cut up and discolored. The boards are dishwasher safe. I have customers who have had their cutting boards well over 7 years and tell me they still look great.

99% of the sinks we sell do not need protection - even our stainless sinks.

I can just picture pouring out the left-over pasta into the sink, then spending 10 minutes trying to pick the pasta out of the holes in the bottom grid. Even more ridiculous, how the heck to you clean the bottom of the sink? Are you supposed to take this giant heavy grid out of the sink every day?

Trying to compete with us...

Their third tier lips over the countertop. There is no way to use the cutting board with anything that might form a liquid, no less rinse the board off while in place. We developed a true tri-level workstation sink called Paragon™. All three work areas are below the top of the bowl. You can run water on the cutting boards on the top tier without having to wear a bathing suit.

It's all about the grout.

Take a look at the dual tier workstation sinks. They are using our original Signature Series step design and simply make the flanges wider and expose the flange to make the top tier. Now you have water constantly sitting on the grout line between the sink and the countertop. Most sinks are installed using silicone, which is a great sealant - until you start scrubbing it. What happens if the seal fails in the back of the sink? Will you notice a small amount of dripping in the back of your sink cabinet before it causes damage?

Galley sink in local showroom

Function first...

I have to admit I was asked to make a similar serving system by a customer who saw the idea on the Galley Sink website. I instantly saw the flaw. When the lid is placed on the container there is no way to see what is inside. It is like playing the old game of concentration (if you are old enough to remember). I found clear polycarbonate trays with clear polycarbonate lids. They are dishwasher and freezer safe and you can see what is inside without lifting the lid.

Again, function is key...

One of the most used accessories we offer is our multi-purpose metal grid. It has oblong holes so that water can evacuate better. (Round holes allow for more surface tension of the water causing slower draining). You can also slip knives and even cleavers in the slots, when you are in the middle of food prep, to keep the handel dry and clean.  Imagine putting asparagus on one of the drain systems with the metal bars. The bars are rounded and that in itself means it is not a sturdy surface. A flat metal grid is far superior - and far more expensive to produce. We are in the business of offering thoughtful designs at the highest quality possible.

What I offer...

I offer sound advice based on your height, handedness, lifestyle, cooking style, entertaining style and other factors. I have found that most of our customers really only need three basic accessories. 1. A butcher quality cutting board. 2. A sponge caddy. 3. A multi-purpose drain grid. For most families, these three accessories will allow the most efficient use of the sink. Now, there are situations where our dual tier, tri-level Paragon™ sink makes sense. That being said, even in that case, I help each family select accessories that make sense and encourage them to purchase the basics, then use the sink for a while and see if any of the other accessories would make sense. In most cases, our customers do not call back for additional accessories. That is because I spend a great deal of time getting to know the user(s) and offer appropriate suggestions for accessories.