Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Rabiyah
In Al Rabiyah, southern Jeddah, cafés and restaurants struggle with poor extraction and kitchen odours leaking out. We design balanced extraction systems that contain kitchen smoke and keep guests in clean, cool air.
- 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 Rabiyah has mixed older and newer buildings, with shops and cafés squeezed sometimes into tight spaces between residential blocks. That means extraction ducts often need tight, winding routes and custom solutions, and some older buildings cannot fit large cooling units. Coastal humidity and dust also speed corrosion in metals and insulation, so regular maintenance is needed to sustain pressure balance and protect units from moisture and grease.
Al Rabiyah sits in southern Jeddah, a district of mixed construction combining residential blocks and tight commercial spaces.
Most cafés and restaurants here use small to medium extraction units with basic air supply, since available space is limited.
The AC setup in Al Rabiyah
- 1
Custom extraction with winding routes
Al Rabiyah's tight spaces need flexible ducts and winding routes that adapt to old or narrow building layouts.
- 2
Simple air supply from compact units
Small cooling units or splits provide straightforward ventilation to the dining area without needing complex central systems.
- 3
Rust protection for metals in humid conditions
We apply protective coatings and insulation on ducts and metals to withstand coastal humidity and grease buildup.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Rabiyah
- 1
Choose a safe exhaust outlet away from neighbours
Tell us where we can run extraction ducts without disturbing neighbouring flats or shops, and ensure the outlet is away from nearby windows.
- 2
Confirm access and what building modifications are allowed
Check that you can open passages in ceilings or walls, and that the building owner approves any modifications needed.
- 3
Show us the kitchen and dining layout clearly
Mark exactly where the stove and kitchen are and where guests will sit, so we design extraction and supply precisely for the limited space.
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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.
Our street is tight with residents nearby, will they be affected by the restaurant exhaust?
We angle and position the exhaust outlet at a suitable height and coordinate with the surrounding environment so odours and smoke do not reach neighbouring flats.
The building is old and I cannot modify the facade much, do you have options?
Yes, we design custom solutions for older buildings, such as running ducts through the ceiling or using flexible channels with winding routes.
Humidity is very high here, does it damage the extraction and cooling equipment?
Yes, coastal humidity combined with kitchen grease speeds rust and corrosion, so we use protected materials and recommend regular maintenance to safeguard the ducts and units.
Does the balance system need complex equipment and extra power?
It depends on the restaurant size and layout, but usually we use simple dampers and valves that do not need costly electronic units in small spaces.
