Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Kandarah
In Al Kandarah, central Jeddah, restaurants and cafés need a balanced HVAC system that extracts cooking steam and odours without disrupting customers. Alrabih designs the system to maintain air-pressure equilibrium between dining and kitchen.
- 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.
Ask on WhatsApp
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
Request this serviceDuct installation
Request this serviceCentral AC installation
Request this serviceDuct fabrication
Request this serviceCold room installation
Request this serviceElectro-mechanical works
Request this serviceChiller & AHU installation
Request this serviceHVAC design
Request this serviceAC repair & faults
Request this serviceAC cleaning
Request this serviceRefrigerant charging
Request this serviceCentral AC maintenance
Request this serviceChiller maintenance
Request this serviceAC removal & refitting
Request this serviceDuct cleaning & sanitising
Request this serviceAC servicing by brand
Request this serviceOperation & maintenance contracts
Request this serviceAHU maintenance
Request this serviceFridge & freezer service
Request this serviceCold rooms
Request this serviceDisplay fridges & chillers
Request this serviceFactory HVAC
Request this serviceWarehouse HVAC
Request this serviceVilla & home HVAC
Request this serviceHotel HVAC
Request this serviceSchool HVAC
Request this serviceHospital HVAC
Request this serviceMosque HVAC
Request this serviceMall & retail HVAC
Request this serviceRestaurant & cafe HVAC
Request this service
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 Kandarah holds diverse restaurants and cafés in relatively modern buildings with open or semi-open kitchens. Because of the central location and high customer density, odours and steam spread quickly without precise air balance. The cooling system here must combine power and precision, extracting fumes directly from above the kitchen while avoiding disturbing customers with strong draughts or noise.
Al Kandarah is in central Jeddah, a district of relatively modern restaurants and cafés with high customer density.
Most Al Kandarah restaurants use central HVAC or multi-head splits paired with separate ventilation extraction systems.
The AC setup in Al Kandarah
- 1
Central system with separate ventilation extraction
Larger restaurants in Al Kandarah use a central cooling unit to distribute cold air alongside a separate extraction system over the kitchen.
- 2
Multi-head split with integrated extraction
Small and mid-sized restaurants may use a multi-head split paired with an integrated extraction hood above the cooking line.
- 3
Fresh-air supply through separate outlet
Separate fresh-air supply systems balance the kitchen extraction and prevent negative pressure that pulls odours toward diners.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Kandarah
- 1
Mark the exact cooking line and oven positions
The position of stoves and ovens is critical for sizing the extraction point, so send us a sketch or photo showing the kitchen layout.
- 2
Confirm external walls are free for ductwork
Tell us which external walls are available and clear of existing wiring or pipes before we visit.
- 3
Clarify entrances between kitchen and dining
The number of doors and openings between kitchen and dining affects air-pressure balance, so share those details with us.
More districts for Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Other services in Al Kandarah
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.
Customers complain about kitchen odours in the dining area, how do you fix this without disrupting the decor?
We install a discreet or nearly hidden extraction hood above the kitchen and run the duct through hidden ceiling or wall cavities. The result is odour-free dining without visible ventilation.
What exactly does an open-plan kitchen need for extraction and air supply?
An open kitchen needs a powerful extraction point over the cooking line and a separate fresh-air supply to the dining room at roughly the same rate as extraction to prevent negative pressure.
Coils and ducts get dirty fast from grease, how do you keep the system clean?
We install grease filters ahead of every condenser coil and coordinate them with a monthly maintenance cycle (or as usage dictates) to clean ducts and coils.
Is central HVAC better than multi-head splits for restaurants?
Both work, but central systems offer more precise air distribution and unified control of air pressure. Our choice depends on the restaurant's size and layout.
