Restaurant & cafe HVAC
Restaurant & cafe HVAC in Al Qaws
In Al Qaws, east Jeddah, restaurants and cafés operate from converted residential buildings amid dense housing. We manage HVAC in tight spaces and balance hood exhaust so cooking air does not drift to adjacent flats.
- 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 Qaws is a dense residential zone with a mix of older and newer blocks, and several restaurants and cafés operate from flats or shops within them. Space is tight and kitchens are cramped, so HVAC and hoods must work in conditions similar to ordinary flats. Balancing hood exhaust against general air pressure is complex in this density, and the close-packed flats mean cooking odours spread quickly. We need detailed knowledge of building layout and shared connections.
Al Qaws is in east Jeddah, a dense residential zone where small restaurants and cafés operate from mixed-use residential buildings.
Most Al Qaws restaurants lease flats or small shops with basic HVAC and limited-capacity hoods.
The AC setup in Al Qaws
- 1
Individual or simple shared cooling units
Al Qaws restaurants usually have window units or simple splits, and some share cooling with adjacent flats.
- 2
Limited-size and low-capacity hoods
Kitchen constraints limit hood size and power, and existing ducts may not support a very strong hood.
- 3
Reliance on shared ducts and openings
Air exhaust often runs through shared ducts and openings with other flats in the building.
Before the visit
Before our visit in Al Qaws
- 1
Coordinate with building management and adjacent flats
Any work on shared ducts or units requires prior notice to building management and neighbouring residents.
- 2
Tell us about the building type and existing ducts
Understanding the building layout and existing ducts helps us grasp the constraints and options before the visit.
- 3
Clear a safe working area in the tight kitchen
Al Qaws kitchens are very tight, so ensure the team has enough safe working space around the hood, ducts and units.
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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 neighbours in the flat above complain about cooking smells, how do we fix that?
The issue is usually odour spreading through shared ducts or drain surfaces. We need to inspect the hood and ducts and may recommend better isolation or advanced odour filters.
Our kitchen space is very tight, can you work in those conditions?
Yes, we work with restaurants in small flats regularly. We assess the space and choose hood and make-up air solutions suited to the tight conditions without unnecessary wall damage.
Our AC is an old window unit, can we rely on it alongside a strong hood?
An old window unit may not withstand strong hood exhaust. We need to assess electrical capacity and ventilation, and may recommend upgrading the unit or reducing hood speed.
Do we need permission from residents or building management before modifications?
Yes, any modification to shared ducts or HVAC units needs building management and affected residents' approval. We recommend coordinating in advance.
