Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Hindawiyah
In Al Hindawiyah, old downtown Jeddah, restaurants and cafés are often small ground-floor units in closely built older buildings. Their HVAC must fit tight spaces and reduce kitchen heat load without disturbing neighbours.
- 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 Hindawiyah's buildings are old and tightly packed; restaurants and cafés are usually small ground-floor units with cramped kitchens and normal ceilings. A strong hood pull can rob cold air from the dining zone or even neighbouring shops, and oven and grill heat is hard to control in tight spaces without good outside air. We need a compact system with a powerful standalone hood, fine make-up air supply, and strong filters to resist the high humidity and dust in this old neighbourhood.
Al Hindawiyah sits in Jeddah's historic downtown near the popular markets and waterfront, an older district of closely packed buildings.
Most small restaurants in Al Hindawiyah use split or window units with basic, unbalanced kitchen hoods.
The AC setup in Al Hindawiyah
- 1
Compact integrated kitchen hood with make-up air
To fit tight quarters, we use a small hood with slim ducts and a petite outside intake to achieve pressure balance.
- 2
Split or window units in the dining area
Small restaurants here rely on a simple split or older window unit, which we maintain and enhance with air supply from the hood.
- 3
Filters and coils with noise insulation
We use heavy filters with acoustic foam around coils and fans to cut noise and resist the neighbourhood's dampness.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Hindawiyah
- 1
Confirm the hood vent location on the outer wall
Check the outer wall closest to the kitchen and where the hood vent can be cut, making sure there are no wires or pipes beneath it.
- 2
Coordinate with the restaurant owner; do not disrupt customers
Arrange visits after closing or during slow hours, and tell neighbours about wall work in advance so they are not surprised.
- 3
Inspect kitchen power and water connections
Check that power is adequate for the hood and fans, and that drain pipes exist and work correctly before starting.
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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.
The space is tiny; how do you fit a balanced hood system in a cramped restaurant?
We use a compact hood with slim pipes and fit a small outside air vent in the outer wall to achieve balance without expanding the footprint.
The neighbourhood is old and humid; do filters need more servicing?
Yes, the old neighbourhood's humidity and dust clog filters faster, so they need monthly checks and replacing more often than other areas.
Oven heat is intense in the tiny kitchen; how do you cool it?
We fit a powerful hood directly above the stove, supply cold air from the dining area in measured amounts to avoid pressure drop, and may add small ceiling fans for circulation.
Does hood noise leak to neighbouring shops?
We fit noise dampers in the hood ducts and acoustic foam around coils, with check valves to cut sound transfer to the closely packed neighbouring shops.
