Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Ala
Al Ala in north-east Jeddah has restaurants and cafés in modern multi-storey buildings with spacious layouts. Alrabih balances the entire HVAC system with the hood and supplies precisely regulated make-up air to achieve guest comfort and energy efficiency.
- 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 Ala is a relatively modern district with new spacious buildings and restaurants with up-to-date equipment; most have central or semi-central AC runs in the building fabric. The common problem here is not lack of cooling but the system's imbalance against a new powerful hood; the strong hood pulls heavy air from the dining room or corridors around the restaurant, harming energy efficiency and comfort. We design a balanced system that feeds the hood with cool filtered air at a precise rate, lowering kitchen pressure whilst maintaining overall hall and corridor equilibrium.
Al Ala lies in north-east Jeddah, a modern district of multi-storey buildings with diverse commercial activity including upscale restaurants and cafés.
Many modern restaurants and cafés here have powerful central AC units and high-performance hood systems that require precise pressure balancing.
The AC setup in Al Ala
- 1
Advanced pressure balancing system
We fit smart pressure sensors and dampers that adjust make-up air flow to the hood based on real-time extraction rates.
- 2
Thermally and acoustically insulated ducts
Ducts from the hood to outside with strong thermal and acoustic insulation, reducing heat loss and noise to the flats above.
- 3
Grease filters before the main coil
We fit a series of high-performance grease filters before the main unit's coil inlet, protecting the system from blockage.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Ala
- 1
Obtain the full building blueprint
Send us the building blueprint showing existing duct routes and available space for fitting new equipment.
- 2
Confirm access to roofs and exterior walls
Verify the roof and exterior walls are safe and accessible for the team to fit ducts and external outlets.
- 3
Schedule installation with the restaurant management
Agree on a phased or temporary-closure installation schedule that minimises disruption to daily operations.
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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 existing AC system is very powerful, how do we add a modern hood without upsetting the balance?
We analyse the current airflow and design a precision pressure-control system, feeding the hood with calculated cool air from the main unit and fine-tuning the supply rate with a pressure regulator valve.
Residential flats are above the restaurant, how do we ensure the hood does not affect them?
We install acoustically and thermally insulated ducts from the hood, analyse pressure effects on ceilings and walls, and may fit additional isolation valves between building floors.
Energy efficiency matters to us, does the balance system increase power consumption?
No, actually, correct pressure balancing reduces strain on both the hood and AC motors because they work with each other, not against, saving electricity and improving comfort.
Can we add grease filters or extra air treatment before the main coil?
Yes, we fit high-efficiency grease filters before the coil intake, and we can add extra air treatment or ion generation units according to your needs.
