they voided the collar as supposedly a hygiene issue....so there is no extra beefiness around the drain. I'd definitely want a substantial mat or grid to handle the impact of pots/pans being laid into the sink on a daily basis to avoid denting that stainless at that location. Any plumber can install this and yes,a garbage disposal would be customary when installing this. Do you think the area around a normal drain and collar is non hygenic so much to have the thickness of the sink only forming the edge of drain entry?