Restaurant air conditioning

Where the heat comes from

A full restaurant is a hot room. Every diner gives off heat, the kitchen pushes warm air through the pass, hot plates and coffee machines run all service, and big front windows catch the afternoon sun. On a warm evening, the room can go from comfortable at six to uncomfortable by eight, just as it fills up. Staff carrying plates feel it first.

That is why we size restaurant air conditioning for a full room on a warm evening, not for an empty room at midday. On the survey we look at the number of covers, the glazing, the kitchen opening, the bar equipment and how the room is used through the day.

Cooling a dining room without draughts

Diners sit still for an hour or more, so cold air falling on a table is quickly noticed. We place units so the air moves along the ceiling and mixes before it reaches people, and we avoid pointing it at banquettes or window tables.

• Ceiling cassettes spread air four ways from the centre of a room and suit open dining rooms with a suspended ceiling.
• Ducted units hide everything except slim grilles, which suits restaurants where the design matters.
• Wall-mounted units are the simplest choice for cafés and smaller rooms, placed high on a wall away from the tables.
• A multi-split or VRF system can give the bar, dining room and private dining room their own controls.

Noise matters too. Indoor fan speeds and outdoor unit positions are chosen so the system does not drown out conversation or annoy neighbours, especially at a late close.

The kitchen and the pass

Commercial kitchens are the hardest place to keep cool. Cooking lines give off a lot of heat, and the air carries fat and moisture that coats indoor unit filters and coils. Comfort air conditioning can take the edge off for chefs, but the unit has to be placed well away from the cooking line, and its filters need cleaning far more often than in a dining room. It is not a substitute for proper kitchen ventilation, which is a separate system designed by a ventilation specialist. Our page on kitchen air conditioning goes into more detail.

Installed when you are closed

We plan restaurant installs around your trade. That might mean starting after the last sitting and finishing before prep, working on your closed day, or splitting the job across several nights. Dust sheets go down, food and equipment are protected or moved, and we leave the room clean and the system tested before you open. Wall cores, outdoor unit mounting and electrical connections are planned for the times they will disturb nobody.

If the building is leased, the landlord will normally need to approve outdoor units and wall openings. In some streets the council’s planning team may also need to be involved, particularly in conservation areas or on listed buildings. We can provide drawings and product details for those conversations.

Cafés, bars and takeaways

Smaller venues have their own quirks. A café with an espresso machine, a glass counter and a sunny shopfront can get surprisingly hot for its size. A bar fills up late, with glass-washers and bottle fridges adding heat behind the counter. A takeaway may have a small front area but a very hot kitchen behind it. In each case we look at where the heat really comes from before we pick a unit, and we keep indoor units out of the way of queues, menu boards and shelving.

Doors are a big factor. A door propped open all afternoon lets cooled air out as fast as the unit can make it. If the door has to stay open, we will tell you honestly how much difference the air conditioning can make, and our article on air curtains explains one way some venues deal with it.

Heating in winter

Most modern air conditioning is a heat pump, so the same system heats the dining room on a cold evening. Many restaurants find that useful, because a busy room can need cooling in the evening even in spring and autumn, while a quiet lunchtime can feel chilly. The controls can be set to switch between heating and cooling as the room needs.

Maintenance through the busy months

Restaurant systems collect dust and cooking residue, and a blocked filter shows up as weak cooling on the busiest night of the year. A maintenance contract puts cleaning and servicing on a schedule that suits your trade, usually before summer. Larger systems also need F-Gas leak checks, and if your air conditioning totals more than 12 kW in the building it needs a TM44 inspection at least every five years. If the system fails mid-service, our 24/7 line takes the call.

Who we work with

We work with independent restaurants, cafés, bars and larger hospitality groups across London and the South East. Clients we have worked with include Hilton Hotels, Holiday Inn, Rolls-Royce, McDonald’s and the BBC. Every job follows the same steps: a site survey, a fixed-price quote, installation out of hours, then commissioning, F-Gas records and handover. Restaurant systems are priced after survey. VAT on commercial work is charged at the standard rate.