Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Khaleej
In Al Khaleej, north Jeddah, modern restaurants and cafés sit among villas and residential blocks, so HVAC systems must balance extraction against neighbour impact. Alrabih tunes hood extraction and cool-air supply to avoid noise and air displacement affecting nearby homes.
- 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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Duct installation
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Central AC installation
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Duct fabrication
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Cold room installation
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Electro-mechanical works
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Chiller & AHU installation
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HVAC design
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AC repair & faults
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AC cleaning
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Refrigerant charging
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Central AC maintenance
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Chiller maintenance
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AC removal & refitting
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Duct cleaning & sanitising
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AC servicing by brand
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Operation & maintenance contracts
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AHU maintenance
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Fridge & freezer service
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Cold rooms
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Display fridges & chillers
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Factory HVAC
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Warehouse HVAC
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Villa & home HVAC
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Hotel HVAC
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School HVAC
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Hospital HVAC
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Mosque HVAC
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Mall & retail HVAC
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Restaurant & cafe HVAC
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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 Khaleej is a mixed residential district of villas and small apartment buildings, some with restaurants or cafés on the ground floor. A powerful extraction hood that pulls large volumes of air from the restaurant can cause noise or push odours and heat towards neighbouring homes, especially if outdoor vents sit near the windows. System design here balances adequate extraction, quiet operation and respect for neighbours' comfort.
Al Khaleej is a mixed northern residential zone of villas and small blocks with shops and cafés on the ground floors.
Most restaurants here use split units or semi-central air for the dining area, with a separate external hood extract for the kitchen.
The AC setup in Al Khaleej
- 1
Standalone split or semi-central unit for dining
Tight spaces favour a strong split unit or semi-central system covering the front dining area without neighbour disruption.
- 2
Separate hood with sound attenuation
The separate hood pulls kitchen steam and oils with force, and sound dampers reduce noise before outdoor discharge.
- 3
Short duct runs and sheltered outdoor position
Because of space constraints and close neighbours, we minimize duct lengths and choose an outdoor position away from neighbouring windows and vents.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Khaleej
- 1
Share restaurant layout and neighbouring spaces
We need the floor layout of dining and kitchen, and know where windows and vents sit in neighbouring units to avoid disruption.
- 2
Ensure safe access to roof or side wall
Fitting the outdoor unit and hood requires safe access to roof or side walls. Check for obstructions or overhead power lines.
- 3
Agree with neighbours on outdoor vent locations
Notifying neighbours about hood outlet positions and installation timing reduces friction and ensures clear understanding of the arrangement.
More districts for Restaurant & cafe HVAC
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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 residential units next door are very close, will the hood extract disturb them?
We place the hood outlet away from neighbours' windows as much as possible and use sound dampers in the duct to reduce noise.
Cooking smells reach the flats above us at night, how do we stop that?
We size the hood extraction to pull adequately and balance prevents backflow upwards. We can also fit odour-removal filters if needed.
Heat from the open kitchen reaches the residential zone above, what can you do?
We extract warm air from the kitchen efficiently via the hood, and provide separate ventilation for the kitchen to prevent heat leakage upwards.
Outdoor space is tight for the external unit, where would you place it?
We survey roofs, side walls and other open areas before the visit. Usually we find safe placement away from neighbours and power lines.












































































