Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Tabah
In Tabah, north Jeddah, restaurants and cafés sit in relatively modern buildings with open-plan dining and kitchen layouts. HVAC here needs pressure balance between kitchen and dining area, and protection against grease that builds up quickly on cooling coils.
- 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
Tabah's buildings are relatively modern with spacious commercial units, and most restaurants combine kitchen and dining in one open or semi-open space. Powerful kitchen extract hoods pull air straight from the dining room, sending cooking smells to diners and dropping pressure so doors bang shut. The HVAC here needs balanced make-up air and constant protection against cooking grease that clogs cooling coils fast.
Tabah lies in north Jeddah, a modern commercial and residential zone with spacious buildings and open-plan layouts among shops and restaurants.
Most restaurants here use powerful ceiling extract hoods with natural exhaust, and need make-up air from the HVAC system to achieve pressure balance.
The AC setup in Tabah
- 1
Central AC with balanced extraction hood
Most Tabah restaurants need central AC working with a strong hood, where the system supplies make-up air to the dining area to balance pressure.
- 2
Coils protected from grease with advanced filters
We use high-efficiency grease filters before the cooling coils to preserve performance and fast cooling in the high-heat cooking environment.
- 3
Separate air ducts for kitchen and dining area
Cool air ducts from the AC feed the dining area separately from kitchen ventilation, to prevent cooking smells and smoke from mixing with cool air to guests.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Tabah
- 1
Confirm kitchen hood and outdoor AC unit locations
Tell us exactly where the hood sits (kitchen ceiling, external wall) and where the outdoor AC unit will be before the visit.
- 2
Check available space for ducts and filters
Make sure kitchen ceilings or walls have enough space for air ducts and filters without clashing with existing structures.
- 3
Coordinate with restaurant management for visit timing
Arrange with the restaurant manager the best time for our visit, ideally during closure or quiet service hours.
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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 kitchen hood is very strong and pulls cooking smells into the dining room, how do you fix this?
We balance pressure between kitchen and dining by adding make-up air from the main HVAC system, keeping kitchen pressure lower so smells exit outside rather than reaching diners.
Can you fit a kitchen hood and AC system together in one building?
Yes, we coordinate the hood and AC so both run efficiently, and ensure the ductwork does not conflict and the AC supplies enough make-up air.
Cooking grease clogs the AC coils fast, how do you protect them?
We place grease filters ahead of the cooling coils and schedule regular maintenance to clean them before they clog the coils or cut cooling performance.
The kitchen and dining area have different heat loads, does the AC cover both zones?
We size the system mainly to cool the dining room where guests sit, and the kitchen benefits from cool air circulation and the hood's natural exhaust, though a larger kitchen may need additional capacity.
