Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Najmah
In Al Najmah, north Jeddah, small cafés and mid-sized restaurants rely on HVAC systems that extract coffee and food odours from inside without disturbing neighbours. Alrabih's team balances airflow between the compact kitchen and small dining area.
- 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 Najmah is a developed district with workshops and commercial trades alongside medium-sized restaurants and cafés in closely placed buildings. Shop and restaurant spaces here are typically limited, with tight kitchens and small dining areas. An efficient HVAC system here means extracting cooking vapours and odours quickly without creating negative pressure that guests notice.
Al Najmah sits in north Jeddah, a mixed district of small trading, shops and cafés in mid-rise buildings.
Most small cafés and restaurants in Al Najmah have a simple hood over the stove or tea counter, lacking a regulated make-up air system.
The AC setup in Al Najmah
- 1
Simple hood with controlled make-up air
Small cafés and restaurants in Al Najmah need a strong-flow hood and a small make-up vent that maintains pressure balance without losing cool air.
- 2
Localised vapour extraction without central distribution
There is usually no room for a central air distribution system, so we focus on localised hood extraction and strong filters.
- 3
Separate AC unit for the dining area
A separate split unit for the dining area keeps cooling isolated from the hood system.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Najmah
- 1
Show us the stove and current hood location
Tell us where the stove or electric tea counter is and where the existing hood sits, with rough measurements.
- 2
Clarify the exhaust outlet and roof access
Confirm whether air can exhaust from the roof or an external wall, and if the roof is safe to access.
- 3
Coordinate with the shop owner about operating hours
Small shops may not close for maintenance, so agree with the owner on the best time to work without disrupting service.
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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 kitchen is tiny, how do you balance the air?
In tight spaces we use a high-flow hood with a controlled make-up vent below the door or on the wall, keeping pressure balanced without discomfort.
Coffee odour escapes to the street from our shop, is that normal?
That should not happen if the hood works efficiently. We check hood closure, filters and connections, and increase extraction speed if needed.
Steam humidity damages the paint and ceiling, how do we reduce it?
Improving hood extraction and ventilation reduces humidity buildup, and we choose moisture-resistant ceiling and wall finishes for small kitchens.
Where does the outdoor unit go in a small shop?
We choose a rear balcony, the building roof, or mount it on an external wall away from the hood exhaust to avoid recirculating hot air.
