Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Umm Al Salam
In Umm Al Salam, east Jeddah, smaller and mid-size cafés and restaurants struggle with pressure imbalance when the kitchen hood runs. Alrabih designs proper balance between extract and fresh air and shields coils from grease and moisture.
- 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.
Ask on WhatsApp
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
Request this serviceDuct installation
Request this serviceCentral AC installation
Request this serviceDuct fabrication
Request this serviceCold room installation
Request this serviceElectro-mechanical works
Request this serviceChiller & AHU installation
Request this serviceHVAC design
Request this serviceAC repair & faults
Request this serviceAC cleaning
Request this serviceRefrigerant charging
Request this serviceCentral AC maintenance
Request this serviceChiller maintenance
Request this serviceAC removal & refitting
Request this serviceDuct cleaning & sanitising
Request this serviceAC servicing by brand
Request this serviceOperation & maintenance contracts
Request this serviceAHU maintenance
Request this serviceFridge & freezer service
Request this serviceCold rooms
Request this serviceDisplay fridges & chillers
Request this serviceFactory HVAC
Request this serviceWarehouse HVAC
Request this serviceVilla & home HVAC
Request this serviceHotel HVAC
Request this serviceSchool HVAC
Request this serviceHospital HVAC
Request this serviceMosque HVAC
Request this serviceMall & retail HVAC
Request this serviceRestaurant & cafe HVAC
Request this service
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
Umm Al Salam mixes family restaurants and small cafés in mid-age buildings, some recently refreshed and others slightly older. Most have simple split AC paired with a basic kitchen hood, rarely designed with extract, supply balance in mind. The result is uncomfortable draughts from the kitchen and quick odour spread to diners. A simple make-up air line or rebalancing the existing run usually solves it.
Umm Al Salam sits in east Jeddah's residential and commercial quarter, a diverse restaurant and café district in mid-scale contemporary buildings.
Most small restaurants here use standard split units with kitchen hoods that lack dedicated make-up air systems.
The AC setup in Umm Al Salam
- 1
Standard split unit with basic kitchen hood
Most small cafés here have one or two split units with a standard hood, without advanced pressure-balance design.
- 2
Simple make-up air inlet from a window or balcony
When make-up air is added, it is often a simple inlet from a nearby window or balcony close to the kitchen.
- 3
Standard filters with limited grease protection
Basic split units have standard filters that may not stop grease particles well, and need frequent replacement in active kitchens.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Umm Al Salam
- 1
Pinpoint the kitchen, hood and nearby windows
Before the visit, tell us exactly where the kitchen and hood are, and any windows or vents close by where make-up air could be routed.
- 2
Clear obstacles around the outdoor unit and ceiling
Make sure the outdoor unit, café pathways and ceiling void are clear so our team can verify the ducting and take measurements.
- 3
Tell us your opening hours and preferred visit time
Umm Al Salam is a busy commercial area, so choose a visit time before opening or after closing to avoid disrupting customers.
More districts for Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Other services in Umm Al Salam
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.
Can you add make-up air to my existing kitchen hood?
Yes, we design a simple fresh-air line that feeds near the hood or from the dining area, balancing pressure without major rebuilding.
My café is small with a tight budget, how do we solve odour and door-slamming?
We first refine the existing run, perhaps by adding vents or repositioning the filter, and if that does not suffice we suggest a simple, low-cost make-up air line.
Humidity in my café is high and the air feels warm near the kitchen, is that normal?
If the hood is pulling air from the dining room, warm humid air seeps in from outside to replace it, overloading the AC. Proper balance reduces this strain.
How often should I clean coils and filters in a busy café kitchen?
We recommend filter cleaning monthly and AC coil cleaning every two months, depending on cooking intensity and grease deposition.
