Air conditioning for restaurants and takeaways
A kitchen line running six burners and a fryer generates serious heat, and a lot of that heat, plus cooking odours, has to leave the building through extract ventilation rather than being fought by air conditioning. Get the balance wrong and you either have an underpowered AC unit working against an open kitchen pass, or an extract system pulling so much air out that replacement air has to come from somewhere — often a draughty front door.
We design comfort cooling for the dining area and any office or prep space separately from kitchen extract, and we make sure the two systems aren't fighting each other. Front-of-house units need to be quiet and unobtrusive since customers sit under them, while back-of-house equipment has to cope with grease-laden air and frequent cleaning.
Takeaways have their own version of the same problem: a small serving area, a hot kitchen behind it, and staff on their feet all evening in front of a hot pass.
Kitchen heat versus dining comfort
- Kitchen extract removes cooking heat and grease-laden air — comfort cooling shouldn't be relied on to do that job
- Make-up air needs considering so extract doesn't depressurise the building and pull in unheated or unfiltered air
- Front-of-house units sized for customer occupancy and door-opening losses, not kitchen heat gain
- Separate zone control so the kitchen can run harder without over-cooling the dining room
Equipment that suits hospitality use
Ceiling cassettes are the usual choice for dining areas — discreet, even air distribution and less obstructive than wall units where seating and sightlines matter. Kitchens and prep areas sometimes need robust wall-mounted or ducted units positioned away from direct grease exposure, with easy-clean filters.
Installing around service hours
Restaurant installs almost always happen before opening, after closing, or during planned closure days — we don't want compressor testing or pipe runs happening over a lunch service. Coordinating with any existing extract or gas engineers on site is part of the job, particularly where ceiling void space is already crowded with ductwork.
Hygiene, compliance and maintenance
Kitchen environments mean more frequent filter cleaning and coil checks than a typical office, because grease and airborne particulates build up faster. Systems with a refrigerant charge over the F-Gas threshold need documented leak checks, and food hygiene inspections increasingly look at kitchen temperature control as part of due diligence.
FAQs
Common questions
Will air conditioning cope with our kitchen heat on its own?
No — kitchen heat and cooking odours need proper extract ventilation. Comfort cooling handles the dining area and any office space; it shouldn't be the only defence against kitchen heat.
Can you fit around our opening hours?
Yes, we regularly work before opening, after close, or on your quietest trading day to avoid disrupting service.
How often should kitchen-area units be serviced?
More often than a typical office — usually quarterly filter and coil checks are worth considering given grease and particulate build-up, on top of the standard annual service.
What if the dining area still feels warm even with AC running?
Often it's door-opening losses, kitchen air migrating through the pass, or units undersized for a fully seated restaurant — worth a site visit to check load and airflow.
Keep reading
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