Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Furqan
In Al Furqan, north Jeddah, modern restaurants and cafés sit among scattered villas and apartment blocks, needing balanced AC systems to separate kitchen odours from the dining area. Alrabih designs extract and supply systems that maintain air pressure between kitchen and dining room for guest comfort.
- 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.
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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 Furqan's buildings are newer than downtown, with apartment blocks and villas offering larger floor areas where central AC runs more efficiently. Restaurants and cafés here need strong separation between the heat-heavy kitchen and the dining room, plus air pressure balance to keep cooking smells and steam away from guests. The wider spaces make duct runs easier and allow kitchen air to be treated before recirculation.
Al Furqan sits in north Jeddah, a relatively modern district of apartment blocks and villas with generous space between buildings.
Most restaurants and cafés here use central AC with ducted systems split between kitchen and dining, plus powerful extraction fans to vent steam outside the building.
The AC setup in Al Furqan
- 1
Central AC with separate duct zones
Separate ducts for kitchen and dining allow independent control of each zone and air pressure balance between them.
- 2
Powerful extraction with external outlet
High-capacity extraction fans vent vapours and odours straight out of the building before they reach dining areas.
- 3
Kitchen return-air treatment
Kitchen return air passes through additional filters to remove grease before recirculation or exhaust.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Furqan
- 1
Identify external outlet locations
Identify safe, suitable locations for extraction outlets on roofs or facades away from neighbours' windows.
- 2
Confirm required duct dimensions
Check duct routing through the kitchen and under floors and ceilings to ensure space for the required duct sections.
- 3
Prepare power and connections
Ensure adequate power outlets near fans and units, and confirm your electrical panel can handle the new load.
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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.
How do you separate kitchen odours from the guest area in Al Furqan?
We design a separate extraction system for the kitchen with negative pressure that pulls vapours and odours straight out of the building, while a separate AC system supplies the dining room with clean, cool air.
Do the wide gaps between buildings here make duct runs easier?
Yes, the wider space allows longer and better-insulated duct runs, which cuts cool-air loss and improves balance across the restaurant.
Kitchen heat is very high in summer, how do you handle it?
We size extra cooling capacity for the kitchen with powerful extraction fans working in sync with the AC system, and clean cooling coils regularly to prevent grease buildup.
How many electrical circuits does the new system need?
It depends on the restaurant size and fan and unit capacity, so we recommend checking your electrical panel and confirming available capacity before design.
