Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Barakah
In Al Barakah, south Jeddah, small and mid-size restaurants operate in tight spaces with tight budgets, needing simple, effective HVAC that balances cooling and extraction affordably. Alrabih offers a practical solution right for small and medium projects.
- Pressure balance
- Make-up air
- Coil protection
Clients We're Proud to Serve
Organisations and companies that trusted Alrabih with their projects.
When your restaurant needs a specialist
- 1
Kitchen smells reaching diners
When the extract hood pulls out more air than is replaced, the kitchen goes negative and draws air from the dining room, bringing smells with it. The answer is calculating the volumes and delivering make-up air close to the hood.
- 2
Dining room stays warm despite the AC
A full dining room in Jeddah's humid summer raises heat and moisture load noticeably. Design must account for peak occupancy, and the right diffuser layout achieves even cooling across tables, not cold near the duct and warm in the corners.
- 3
Repeated breakdowns in kitchen AC units
Grease vapour from the burners settles on evaporator coils and blocks airflow, raising pressure and stressing the compressor. Placing the unit away from grease currents and scheduling coil cleaning reduces this damage significantly.
Who it's for
Opening a new restaurant that needs a full HVAC system
We design the cooling and make-up air system from scratch to match your kitchen and dining layout before you open.
Ask on WhatsAppYour restaurant is running but smells are reaching the tables
We survey the existing system, measure pressure between kitchen and dining, then correct the fault by adding make-up air or adjusting the air balance.
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What the work covers
- Kitchen and dining pressure survey
- Make-up air for hood
- Diffuser layout for dining
- Ductwork to SMACNA standards
- Air balance commissioning
How we work
How we work
- 1
Site and kitchen survey
We visit, measure the spaces, review the existing extract hood and burner positions, and find where negative pressure is occurring before any design work.
- 2
Design and equipment selection
We design the make-up air and cooling systems together, and select units from Carrier, YORK, General, Midea, Gree or Smart Gold to suit the space and the load.
- 3
Duct fabrication and installation
We fabricate ducts in our workshop from G90 galvanised sheet to precise sizes, install the units, and run Mueller copper in runs of up to 30 metres without welded joints, insulated with Armaflex.
- 4
Balancing and handover
We run the system and adjust dampers until the kitchen sits at slight negative and the dining room at slight positive, confirming that doors open easily and no kitchen smell crosses to the guests.
Integrated design or separate units with no balance?
| Alrabih | The usual way | |
|---|---|---|
| Make-up air | Calculated and delivered to the hood | Usually not addressed |
| Dining pressure | Slight positive, no smell transfer | Negative, pulls kitchen air in |
| Coil protection | Unit placed away from grease | Repeated breakdowns |
| Cooling spread | Diffusers sized for full occupancy | Uneven, warm corners |
| Kitchen ductwork | Fabricated in-house from G90 sheet | Off-the-shelf sizes, poor fit |
Everything your AC needs, from one team
From system design and duct fabrication to installation, commissioning and maintenance.
Split AC installation
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Some of our work
Ductwork, rooftop units and diffusers, from work we've completed in Jeddah.
Customer reviews
What our customers say
- Muhammadramzan 2641
“MashaaAllah. Services are so good. Behaviour and kindness 100/100. Prices are less then Market. Fully recommended”
- shahzeb armani
“Wow. Prices are so comfortable. Outstanding services. People are so talented and nice”
- Tawfik AlyawerLocal Guide
“U can find all u need for air conditioning”
Your satisfaction matters to us! If you had a great experience with us, we'd love a 5-star rating and a kind review.
Worked with us? Leave a reviewService areas
We come to you anywhere in Jeddah
From Al Shiraa and Al Yaqout in the north to Al Thaghr and Al Quraiyat in the south, with our base in Al Aziziyah.
What sets this district apart
Al Barakah is a mixed residential and commercial district with small to mid-size restaurants, often shops within old residential or commercial buildings. Space is tight and budgets limited, but reliable air balance is essential for guest comfort and neighbour building safety. The solution demands smartly installed split systems or small units, simple hoods with good grease filters, and light maintenance the owner can do between technical visits.
Al Barakah lies in south Jeddah as a mixed residential and commercial district with simple small restaurants and modest budgets.
Most small restaurants here use single or dual split units with a simple wall hood, avoiding complex central systems.
The AC setup in Al Barakah
- 1
Single or dual split units
Small restaurants here use one or two split units per shop size, avoiding central AC that older building foundations may not support.
- 2
Simple wall-mounted hood with replaceable grease filter
The wall hood is quick to install and maintain in small shops, and the grease filter is cleanable weekly by the owner.
- 3
Simple make-up air from a window or exterior opening
A small shop may not fit complex ducting, so we pull fresh air from a simple exterior window and direct it toward the kitchen for basic balance.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Barakah
- 1
Send a simple photo of the kitchen and stove area
One photo of the kitchen, stove and available space is enough for us to understand the layout before arriving.
- 2
Specify nearest parking or entry to the shop
Tell us where the team can park or enter most easily, especially if the shop is on a narrow street or inside a residential building.
- 3
Confirm safe access to the roof or exterior wall
If the shop is on the ground floor or amid residential units, verify that roof or exterior wall access is safe for running ductwork.
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FAQ
Questions about Restaurant & cafe HVAC
What is the difference between make-up air and kitchen air conditioning?
Make-up air replaces the volume the hood extracts, its purpose is pressure balance not necessarily cooling. Kitchen air conditioning tackles burner heat and lowers temperature for the staff. Both may be needed, and the site survey determines which your kitchen requires.
Do outdoor seating areas need a different approach in Jeddah?
Yes. In Jeddah's heat and humidity, fans alone are not enough during peak months. The right option depends on whether the space has an open roof or a partial enclosure and how large the area is. We assess the spot and propose suitable units after the survey.
How are AC coils protected from kitchen grease?
The first step is design: we position kitchen units in airflow paths away from the grease rising off the burners. In preventive maintenance contracts we schedule pressure coil cleaning before build-up raises stress on the compressor, because early cleaning is simpler and less costly than a repair.
Can existing ductwork in an operating restaurant be repaired or does it need replacing?
The decision follows a duct inspection: we look for air leaks, grease build-up inside, and sheet corrosion from Jeddah's salty air. If the structure is sound we seal joints with Foster sealants and re-insulate with Kimmco. If not, we fabricate new sections in our workshop and replace the damaged runs.
Does a packed dining room during peak season affect how the AC performs?
Yes, every person in the room adds heat and moisture, and this is significant in Jeddah's summer. Design therefore accounts for full occupancy load, not average attendance, and diffusers are positioned to deliver even cooling across all tables. The exact layout is confirmed after the site survey.
My budget is tight, can I get a balanced system that is simple and affordable?
Yes, we install one or two split units per restaurant size with a simple wall hood and good grease filter. No need for complex systems, and a simple setup works efficiently with regular maintenance.
My restaurant is attached to a residential building, does my hood affect my neighbours?
A strong hood can pull air from your neighbour if there is no adequate make-up air. We install simple make-up air ducted directly from outside into your kitchen, protecting neighbours from odours and negative pressure.
Can I clean the grease filter myself between visits?
Yes, the grease filter is easy to remove and clean. We show you how on the first visit to do a light clean weekly, and we do a deep clean every month.
My units are a bit old, do they need full replacement or simple repair?
We inspect them on-site and tell you if they can be repaired or need replacement. If they run with reasonable efficiency, we focus on regular maintenance and cleaning to extend their life.
