Carts & Racks

Tier count depends on how many pans need to be in rotation at once, not just kitchen size. A 10-tier rack like the Winco ALRK-10 Sheet Pan Rack works well for a smaller bakery program or a single prep shift, while a 20- or 30-tier rack fits a high-volume bakery running multiple bake cycles at once and needing somewhere to stage everything before it goes into the oven. Spacing matters too — most racks run 3-inch spacing between tiers for standard sheet pans, though covered models add zipper enclosures to keep dust and pests off pans waiting to bake or cool. If pans are backing up on prep tables between bakes, that's the clearest sign to move up a tier count.

A dunnage rack is a low, open-slat platform — usually just a few inches off the floor — that holds bulk cases, bags, and sacks of dry goods up off a walk-in or storage room floor. Most health codes require food to be stored at least 6 inches off the ground, and a dunnage rack is the standard way to meet that without building full shelving for oversized or bagged items that don't fit a normal shelf. It also keeps product away from floor moisture and makes it easier to spot pests or leaks underneath. Any kitchen storing flour sacks, canned goods by the case, or produce bags on the floor of a walk-in or dry storage room needs one to stay code-compliant.

A bus cart (or bus bin cart) — like the Winco ABBC-6 Aluminum 6-Tier Bus Bin Rack — is built specifically to hold bus bins, the plastic totes servers use to clear dirty dishes, with open racks sized to stack those bins securely while rolling through a dining room. A general utility cart is a flatter, shelf-style cart meant for moving anything from prep ingredients to catering supplies, without bin-specific slots. If the job is bussing tables and getting dishes to the dish pit, a bus cart keeps bins from sliding; for general transport around the kitchen or between stations, a standard utility cart is more flexible.