The stages has a shelf, which isn't exactly the same as a drainboard to me. I actually have runnels in my countertop next to my stages. I use the shelf as a place to set the colander, as a place to scrub pots (easier than reaching all the way down into the deep sink), and as a place to set dirty sharp knives. I have not used it as a drainboard.

If if you haven't already, you might search this forum for stages reviews as people have given some good ones over the years and I think you will find more detailed accounts of how people use the sink. I love mine.

I would set raw chicken on a clean stainless ledge. I would not do that with granite. Also a 43.5" wide sink is just a little more than I need along the lines of a 128 ounce "Big Gulp" soda. Too much of a good thing. It would be more than I want to keep clean and might just become a large hiding place for dirty dishes. Others will feel differently and if I was routinely cooking for 16 or 24 people I'd probably find more use in a 43.5" wide sink.

A built-in sink drainboard is superior to runnels in anything.

Perhaps a good question is how people who have the Stages actually use that ledge. I generally keep the heavy walnut cutting board over the ledge, so much of the time I'm not actively using it. However, when I'm cutting a lot of veggies I scoot the cutting board over and place the bowls that come with the sink on the ledge (one at a time), cut the onion, celery, carrot, whatever, and then sweep it into the bowl. The top of the bowl is at a perfect height for getting the veggies to land into the bowl. The square bowl is a help here as the full edge of the bowl is flush with the edge of the cutting board. This also works with meat that needs to be cut up, like beef for stew or cooked chicken for salad. I like that I don't have food bits on the counter top and floor. I especially remember how much I like this set up when I process tomatoes over by the stove. Even using a cutting board with a drip runnel I end up with bits of tomato on the granite and stray splashes on the backsplash hiding to be found another day. The sink as prep is so much nicer, but tomatoes are going in and out of hot water and cold water and that needs to happen next to the stove.

@ Joseph Corlett,LLC .Agreed, sinks with drainboards work better overall than runnels. Lack of the sloped plain in the countertop surface makes it hard for water to drain effectively. There are several manufacturers with sloped drainboards on the market.