Restaurant HVAC in Las Vegas
Kitchen ventilation, dining room comfort, and refrigeration service for Las Vegas restaurants
Short answer: The Cooling Company provides complete HVAC services for Las Vegas restaurants — kitchen exhaust hood systems, make-up air units, dining room comfort cooling, walk-in cooler and freezer maintenance, grease trap ventilation, and health code compliance support. We understand that a broken system during service hours means lost revenue and unhappy customers. Emergency service available 24/7. Call (702) 567-0707 or Schedule Now.
Running a restaurant in Las Vegas means running HVAC equipment harder than almost anywhere else in the country. Your kitchen generates enormous heat from grills, fryers, ovens, and dishwashers. Outside, it is 115 degrees in summer. Your dining room needs to feel comfortable despite having a commercial kitchen producing tens of thousands of BTUs just behind a wall. Your walk-in cooler and freezer compressors are fighting triple-digit ambient temperatures to hold food at safe temperatures. And the health department requires that all of it meets code — ventilation rates, exhaust hood performance, food storage temperatures, and air quality standards.
The Cooling Company has served Las Vegas restaurants since 2011 — from independently owned neighborhood restaurants to multi-location franchise operations. We understand that HVAC failures in a restaurant are not just uncomfortable; they are operational emergencies. A dining room that cannot maintain 75 degrees drives customers away. A walk-in cooler that rises above 40 degrees puts your entire inventory at risk. A kitchen exhaust system that fails during service creates a smoke-filled kitchen and a health code violation. We respond with urgency because we understand what is at stake.
Kitchen Ventilation Systems
Exhaust Hood Systems
Commercial kitchen exhaust hoods are the foundation of kitchen ventilation. They capture heat, smoke, grease-laden vapor, and combustion byproducts from cooking equipment and exhaust them outside the building. A properly functioning exhaust hood system keeps your kitchen safe, comfortable for staff, and compliant with fire and health codes.
We service and install all types of commercial kitchen exhaust hoods:
- Type I hoods: Required over cooking equipment that produces grease-laden vapors — grills, fryers, char-broilers, woks, and ovens. These hoods include grease filters, fire suppression connections, and are ducted to the roof through grease-rated ductwork.
- Type II hoods: Used over equipment that produces heat and steam but not grease — dishwashers, steam tables, and prep equipment. These hoods exhaust heat and moisture without the fire suppression requirements of Type I systems.
Exhaust hood service includes:
- Fan motor inspection and replacement — exhaust fans run continuously during kitchen operation and motors wear out
- Belt inspection and replacement on belt-driven exhaust fans
- Fan speed verification — ensuring the hood is pulling the required CFM for the cooking equipment it serves
- Ductwork inspection for grease buildup, damage, and code compliance
- Grease filter cleaning and replacement
- Control system troubleshooting — demand-controlled ventilation systems that modulate exhaust based on cooking activity
Make-Up Air Units
Every cubic foot of air that your exhaust hood pulls out of the kitchen must be replaced. Without adequate make-up air, the kitchen operates under negative pressure — doors are hard to open, the dining room feels drafty, and the exhaust hood cannot capture contaminants effectively because room air patterns are disrupted.
Make-up air units (MAUs) supply tempered outdoor air to replace exhausted kitchen air. In Las Vegas, where outdoor air reaches 115 degrees in summer, make-up air must be cooled before it enters the kitchen — introducing 115-degree air into an already hot kitchen is counterproductive. We install and service make-up air units that:
- Supply the correct volume of replacement air matched to your exhaust system's capacity
- Temper incoming air — cooling in summer, heating in winter — to avoid overloading the kitchen's comfort system
- Filter incoming air to remove desert dust and particulate that would otherwise enter through negative-pressure openings
- Integrate with exhaust hood controls for demand-based operation that saves energy during prep hours when full ventilation is not needed
Grease Trap and Hood Ventilation Maintenance
Grease accumulation in exhaust ductwork is a fire hazard and a health code violation. While hood cleaning is typically performed by a specialized cleaning company, we maintain the mechanical components of your exhaust system — the fans, motors, controls, and dampers that keep the system functioning. We also coordinate with hood cleaning contractors to schedule mechanical service around their cleaning schedule, minimizing total kitchen downtime.
Dining Room Comfort Systems
Your dining room's HVAC system has a harder job than a typical commercial space. It must compensate for heat gain from the kitchen, maintain comfortable temperatures despite frequent door openings, handle solar heat gain through windows, and keep up with Las Vegas outdoor temperatures that make the building envelope work against you.
Sizing for Restaurant Loads
Restaurant dining rooms require more cooling capacity per square foot than a typical office or retail space. A standard commercial space might need 1 ton of cooling per 400 to 500 square feet. A restaurant dining room — with kitchen heat gain, high occupant density, and door traffic — typically needs 1 ton per 200 to 350 square feet. In Las Vegas, with 115-degree outdoor design temperatures, that number skews even lower. Undersized systems result in complaints about a hot dining room and lost repeat customers.
We size restaurant HVAC systems based on actual load calculations that account for:
- Kitchen heat contribution through the partition wall and pass-through openings
- Occupant density — a full restaurant generates significant body heat
- Lighting load from display lighting, decorative fixtures, and signage
- Solar heat gain through windows and glass storefronts
- Door openings — especially for restaurants with front patios or high turnover
- Las Vegas outdoor design temperature of 108 to 112 degrees Fahrenheit
Zoned Comfort Control
Many restaurants benefit from zoned HVAC that controls the dining room, bar, private dining areas, and entry independently. The bar area generates heat from refrigeration equipment and higher occupant density. Private dining rooms may be vacant during lunch but full during dinner. The entry vestibule experiences temperature swings from door traffic. Zoning allows each area to maintain optimal conditions without over-cooling or under-cooling other spaces.
Air Quality in the Dining Room
Dining room air quality matters — customers notice odors, stuffiness, and temperature problems even if they cannot articulate what is wrong. We ensure that your HVAC system provides adequate ventilation to meet ASHRAE 62.1 requirements, effective filtration to manage Las Vegas dust, and positive pressure relative to the kitchen so that cooking odors and grease vapors do not migrate into the dining space.
Walk-In Cooler and Freezer Service
Walk-in coolers and freezers are critical restaurant infrastructure. A cooler failure that allows food temperatures to rise above 40 degrees Fahrenheit puts your entire cold inventory at risk and can trigger a health department violation. In Las Vegas, where ambient temperatures around walk-in compressors regularly exceed 110 degrees, refrigeration equipment works harder and fails more often than in cooler climates.
We provide complete walk-in cooler and freezer service:
- Preventive maintenance: Condenser coil cleaning (critical when outdoor units are exposed to Las Vegas dust), evaporator coil inspection, refrigerant charge verification, fan motor inspection, door gasket evaluation, and drain line clearing
- Temperature monitoring troubleshooting: Diagnosing and resolving temperature inconsistencies, warm spots, and failure to maintain setpoint
- Compressor repair and replacement: Walk-in compressors in Las Vegas run under extreme head pressure due to high ambient temperatures — we address high-pressure faults, compressor overheating, and electrical failures
- Evaporator fan motor replacement: Fan motors that circulate cold air inside the box fail from continuous operation — we carry common motor sizes for fast replacement
- Door and gasket service: Worn door gaskets allow warm, humid air infiltration that forces the compressor to run harder and can cause ice buildup on the evaporator coil
- Defrost system service: Freezer defrost heaters, timers, and controls that fail cause ice accumulation on the evaporator coil, reducing cooling capacity
Health Code Compliance
The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) enforces strict requirements for restaurant HVAC and refrigeration. Non-compliance can result in point deductions on health inspections, required corrective actions, or in severe cases, temporary closure. HVAC-related health code requirements include:
- Kitchen ventilation: Exhaust hood systems must be operational during all cooking operations and must maintain the required capture velocity to prevent grease and smoke from escaping into the kitchen and dining areas
- Food storage temperatures: Walk-in coolers must maintain 40°F or below, freezers must maintain 0°F or below — equipment that cannot hold these temperatures creates an immediate compliance problem
- Handwash water temperature: Water heaters must supply water at the temperature required for handwashing stations
- General ventilation: The building must maintain adequate ventilation to prevent odor, condensation, and contamination issues
We understand these requirements and ensure that all HVAC and refrigeration work we perform supports your health code compliance. If we identify a potential compliance issue during a service visit, we will flag it immediately so you can address it before your next inspection.
Energy Efficiency for High-Use Kitchens
Restaurant HVAC and refrigeration systems are among the highest energy consumers in commercial buildings. The kitchen alone — with its exhaust fans, make-up air units, refrigeration compressors, and comfort cooling — can account for 30 to 50 percent of a restaurant's total energy bill. In Las Vegas, where cooling costs are already extreme, energy efficiency improvements can produce substantial savings:
- Demand-controlled kitchen ventilation: Systems that modulate exhaust fan speed based on actual cooking activity rather than running at full speed continuously — can reduce kitchen ventilation energy by 30 to 50 percent during prep and off-peak hours
- High-efficiency rooftop units: Replacing older dining room rooftop units with modern high-efficiency models can reduce cooling energy by 20 to 40 percent
- Economizer operation: Las Vegas has cool nights and mild shoulder seasons where outdoor air can be used for free cooling instead of running compressors — properly functioning economizers save significant energy
- Walk-in cooler/freezer efficiency: Strip curtains, auto-closing doors, LED lighting, and ECM evaporator fan motors reduce the refrigeration load and energy consumption
- Programmable controls: Systems that automatically reduce output during closed hours and ramp up before opening
Why Las Vegas Restaurants Choose The Cooling Company
- Restaurant-specific expertise: We understand kitchen ventilation, make-up air, refrigeration, and dining room comfort as an integrated system — not separate service calls
- Emergency response: A failed HVAC or refrigeration system during service hours is a revenue emergency — we respond accordingly with 24/7 dispatch and stocked service vehicles
- Health code awareness: We know SNHD requirements and ensure our work supports your compliance
- Preventive maintenance programs: Scheduled maintenance for all restaurant systems — HVAC, exhaust, and refrigeration — on a single agreement with a single point of contact
- Multi-location support: For franchise operators and restaurant groups, we manage HVAC across multiple locations with consistent service quality and centralized reporting
- Las Vegas climate expertise: 14 years of servicing restaurant HVAC in a climate where outdoor temperatures make every component work harder — we know which parts fail first and why
Related Services
- Commercial HVAC — commercial heating and cooling for all business types
- Commercial HVAC Maintenance — scheduled maintenance for commercial systems
- Commercial HVAC Repair — commercial system diagnostics and repair
- Commercial Indoor Air Quality — air quality solutions for commercial spaces
- HVAC for Property Managers — multi-unit HVAC management
- Emergency AC Repair — 24/7 emergency cooling service
- Packaged Units — rooftop packaged HVAC systems for commercial buildings
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should restaurant HVAC and refrigeration be serviced in Las Vegas?
Restaurant HVAC systems should be serviced quarterly — four times per year. Kitchen exhaust systems and dining room comfort systems both run under extreme loads in Las Vegas and need more frequent attention than standard commercial HVAC. Walk-in coolers and freezers should be serviced at least quarterly, with condenser coil cleaning monthly during summer when desert dust and high ambient temperatures combine to create the most stress on refrigeration compressors. More frequent service costs more upfront but prevents the emergency failures that shut down kitchens.
My dining room is always too hot even though the AC is running — what is wrong?
This is the most common restaurant HVAC complaint in Las Vegas, and it usually means the cooling system is undersized for the actual load. Restaurant dining rooms have much higher cooling requirements per square foot than typical commercial spaces — kitchen heat gain, high occupant density, lighting, and Las Vegas outdoor temperatures all contribute. The system may have been sized using standard commercial calculations that do not account for restaurant-specific loads. We can perform a load calculation and determine whether the system needs to be supplemented or replaced with correctly sized equipment. Call (702) 567-0707 for an assessment.
What do I do if my walk-in cooler temperature is rising during a shift?
First, check the basics: is the door closing completely, are the evaporator fans running, and is the condenser unit running outside? If the condenser is not running, the compressor may have tripped on high pressure — common in Las Vegas summer heat when the condenser coil is dirty. If the fans are running but the compressor is off, a capacitor or contactor may have failed. Call us immediately — rising cooler temperatures put your entire cold inventory at risk. We carry common refrigeration parts and can often resolve the issue on the same visit.
How much does a new exhaust hood system cost for a restaurant in Las Vegas?
A complete Type I kitchen exhaust hood system — including the hood, grease filters, ductwork, roof-mounted exhaust fan, fire suppression connection, and make-up air unit — typically ranges from $15,000 to $50,000 or more depending on the hood length, cooking equipment lineup, and building configuration. A 10-foot hood over a standard cooking battery is at the lower end; a 20-foot or longer hood serving a full commercial kitchen is at the higher end. Permitting, fire suppression integration, and structural requirements for the roof penetration can add cost. We provide detailed quotes after a site survey.
Can you help us pass our health department inspection?
We can address HVAC and refrigeration issues that affect your health inspection score. If the health department has cited ventilation inadequacy, temperature control failures in walk-ins, or exhaust hood performance issues, we can diagnose and repair the underlying problem. We can also provide documentation of repairs and system performance for your records. If you have an upcoming inspection and are concerned about HVAC-related compliance, call us for a pre-inspection assessment.
Do you service franchise restaurants and chain locations?
Yes. We service franchise restaurants and multi-location restaurant groups throughout the Las Vegas Valley. For franchise operators, we can work within your brand's equipment specifications, vendor requirements, and reporting formats. We provide consistent service quality across all locations, centralized billing, and a single point of contact for your entire portfolio. Whether you operate 2 locations or 20, we can structure a maintenance program that covers all of them.
What is a make-up air unit and does my restaurant need one?
A make-up air unit (MAU) supplies replacement air to the kitchen to compensate for the air removed by exhaust hoods. Without adequate make-up air, the kitchen operates under negative pressure — doors are hard to open, the exhaust hood cannot capture smoke and grease effectively, and outdoor air infiltrates through every opening in the building. Building code requires make-up air for any kitchen exhaust system. If your kitchen has a commercial exhaust hood, you need a make-up air system. If you are experiencing doors slamming, drafts, or smoke escaping from the hood, your make-up air may be inadequate or malfunctioning.
Schedule Restaurant HVAC Service
Your restaurant depends on HVAC and refrigeration systems that work reliably during every service. A comfortable dining room fills tables. A functioning kitchen ventilation system keeps staff safe and code-compliant. Walk-in coolers and freezers that hold temperature protect your inventory. Call (702) 567-0707 to discuss a maintenance program for your restaurant, or book online for service.
Need HVAC Service in Las Vegas?
The Cooling Company provides expert HVAC service throughout Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas. Our licensed technicians deliver honest assessments, upfront pricing, and reliable results.
Call (702) 567-0707 or visit AC repair, maintenance, heating, or installation for details.