Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Rawabi
In Al Rawabi, south Jeddah, mid-size restaurants and cafés need straightforward yet effective balance between kitchen ventilation and guest comfort. We design systems that extract cooking fumes and grease while keeping the dining area cool and fresh.
- 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 Rawabi is a relatively new residential district with moderate commercial growth, and most restaurants and cafés sit in lower-rise buildings or within commercial clusters. Kitchens here are usually smaller than central-area ones and operate at lower pressure because of smaller guest numbers. However, the high heat and southern humidity raise cooling demand noticeably, and grease accumulation on coils impedes air-cooling performance. We balance kitchen and dining pressure more simply than in larger zones, focusing on air stability and coil protection.
Al Rawabi is a relatively modern southern district with residential buildings and commercial clusters set in open spaces and wide streets.
Most small restaurants and cafés in Al Rawabi run simple split units with a separate kitchen hood.
The AC setup in Al Rawabi
- 1
Simple split with separate hood
One or two split units for the dining area, with an independent hood for the small kitchen.
- 2
Limited make-up air to the kitchen
Simple extra airflow enters the kitchen through a vent or window to balance extraction pressure and prevent dining-room air being drawn in.
- 3
Grease filters on the hood outlet
One or two simple grease filters fitted to the hood to protect coils and ducts from oil buildup.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Rawabi
- 1
Tell us the seating count and daily guest number
Guest count determines hood and coil size, so give us an idea of the restaurant's typical daily capacity.
- 2
Confirm access to the roof or outer wall
The outdoor unit needs safe space on the roof or wall, so check there are no obstructions and safe access stairs.
- 3
Locate the kitchen and air exit point
Send a photo of the kitchen location and where ducts can run outside the building, so we can estimate duct length and the best route.
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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 small and right next to the dining room, how do we stop smells?
We fit a self-closing kitchen door and a hood with enough capacity to draw the fumes, and supply extra air to the kitchen at low pressure so odours stay contained.
The streets are wide here, where do we put the outdoor unit?
Al Rawabi's wide streets give us more flexibility in placement, usually on the roof or building side, with plenty of space for maintenance and airflow.
It is very hot in the south, can coils handle both grease and heat?
Southern heat and humidity speed up grease accumulation, so we recommend cleaning every three to four weeks to maintain cooling performance.
Do we need monitoring or gauges for the system?
We fit a simple thermostat and pressure gauges on the hood so you can spot performance drops and request service before a breakdown occurs.
