Restaurant Air Conditioning

29th May 2018

Restaurants rely heavily on reputation and first impressions for repeat business. With so much choice available, a diner will not think twice about not visiting a particular restaurant again if the experience was unpleasant. So you may only get one chance to impress a customer, and as well as great food and service, the general ambience of a restaurant is crucial. Whatever the weather is like outside, a diner wants a meal to be an escape and a comfortable and relaxing experience.
This is why interior design is so important to a restaurant, and as well as décor, furniture and fittings a good air conditioning system can make all the difference. However, restaurants run on very tight budgets and trade can be very seasonal, so an air conditioning system needs to be cost effective and designed to suit a specific building.

What air conditioning systems are suitable for restaurants?
A restaurant is likely to need an air conditioning system that offers both heating and cooling. For this reason heat pump air conditioners are very popular in restaurants, as they cost effectively provide hot and cold air conditioning from the same unit.
Crucially, air conditioning in restaurants needs to complement the décor and aesthetics, so there is a need to have flexible systems which could be ceiling cassette mounted, wall-mounted or floor-mounted. These are all acceptable depending on the room layout and decor. Wall-mounted units are very popular in restaurants as they can be discreet, high up out of the way and can also be retro-fitted.
It may also be advisable to install a number of low-powered air conditioning units and space them around evenly, rather than have one high-powered unit covering a whole room. In this way you are more likely to create an even airflow and a comfortable dining environment with no hot/cold spots or drafts.

Why restaurants need to be flexible in choosing an air conditioning system
While outside temperatures are a factor in restaurants, so are occupancy levels. Restaurants will have to adjust the ambient temperature of the room according to how busy they are, and in this case, having a DC invertor control is important as it offers very responsive temperature control while maintaining a cost-efficient air conditioning stem.
Split air conditioning systems are not often used in restaurants, due to the more complex nature of their installation, while systems with ducting are often only suitable for new-build restaurants. However, this does raise the fact that air conditioning is an investment for a business that can add value to the building, particularly for a restaurant. So call our sales team today and we can arrange for a qualified engineer to give you a free site survey and design a system that suits you.