Installing a Hood System in Your Restaurant

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• How much does adding a hood system to a restaurant kitchen cost? 

• How does a hood system function? 

• What type of upkeep should you plan on to properly maintain a restaurant hood system...and avoid a fire hazard?

All this and more in today's episode.

Host, Michael Carro, is joined by Don Theriot, Founder, and Owner of Kesco, Kitchen Equipment & Supply Co. Don explains how a hood system works within your restaurant and how to ensure it is properly maintained.

Episode Quick Reference Notes:

• Plan on budgeting $1000/ foot of hood system

• Hood systems need to extend 6 inches further on both sides of your cooking surface, so budget in an additional foot.

If you want to eliminate fees associated with hood system installation consider finding a second-generation restaurant location.

Want learn more perks to taking on a second-generation restaurant? Here an episode you don’t want to miss! Or find out more about the process of redesigning a second-generation kitchen here!

Subscribe to get new episodes that provide uncensored straight talk geared to answer your restaurant and restaurant real estate questions. 

Find the full interview on how to install hood systems below:

Michael Carro : 0:01

Welcome to The Restaurant Realty in 10. Ten minutes of uncensored straight talk for restaurant entrepreneurs. Weekly The Restaurant Realty in 10 dives into restaurant operations, facilities, real estate, and investments. Welcome to The Restaurant Realty in 10. This is your host, Michael Carro. And today I want to welcome to the program Don Theoit with KESCO. That's Kitchen Equipment and Supply to discuss hood systems. Don, welcome to the program.

Don Theriot : 0:25

Thank you for having me, Michael.

Michael Carro : 0:26

So Don, when I buy or sell a restaurant, one of the primary factors that my clients look for is the hood system. And if it has a hood system, obviously they feel a lot better because that's a significant investment. But if it doesn't, they're going to have to install one. So can you walk us through what is a hood system? Why is it needed? And then we'll get into the installation.

Don Theriot : 0:49

As it relates to exhaust hoods. Their main purpose is to extract from the building grease laden vapors and that is the result of cooking from a boiler or a range or a stove or a steamer, convection ovens now require exhaust hoods as well. In the design and specification stage of that hood system, we have to take into full account the restrictions as imposed by the fire marshal. The fire marshal is the chief inspector and he's the guy who does have full authority to reject the certificate of occupancy if the hood system does not meet his specifications. So as a dealer, we have to make sure that our design of the exhaust hoods system will meet his criteria.

Michael Carro : 1:39

And now let me go more simple. Folks, a hood is what goes over the kitchen equipment when you see that chef or quick service restaurant employee making the food all the kitchen equipment that they're cooking the food on is typically underneath this hood system, which then is pulling up those grease laden vapors that Don mentioned. So just going on to a rudimentary level and then inside that hood system is a fire suppression system. And so tell us what that is and how it works.

Don Theriot : 2:10

The purpose of the fire suppression system is that when, God forbid, that there is a fire, the sensor and the fire suppression tells the fire suppression system to discharge fire retardants which will put out the fire. The purpose of that is so that the building will not be damaged by the fire caused by the cooking process.

Michael Carro : 2:33

When that fusable link melts with that hot flame. You are definitely shut down for a couple of hours that cleanup is...listen. If it does its job. It really really works and it coats everything. Anything that has potential of fire is Gonzo.

Don Theriot : 2:48

Oh, absolutely. But of course, the safety of the public is what's of major interest here to incorporate that fire suppression.

Michael Carro : 2:56

It also protects the investment clearly of the restaurant owner. So it keeps them in business. Yes, they lost a couple hours in sales, but everybody's safe. The restaurant did not burn to the ground and listen if you're in a 10 story building, the 10 story building also didn't catch on fire.

Don Theriot : 3:11

Exactly.

Michael Carro : 3:11

So it's definitely a very critical component to any kitchen. So from there Don, once you the restaurant identifies the size of the hood that it needs. Is there a benchmark for pricing? I've got my own benchmark that I'm going to ask you about. But is there a benchmark for budgeting a price for a hood?

Don Theriot : 3:28

We get this question asked all the time. In our parameters there depending on the menu of course we're talking about $1,000 a foot. If your kitchen equipment, the cooking equipment, is six feet long. You have a 36 inch range and a 36 inch charbroiler. The exhaust hood has to have another foot added to the length six inches on both sides and that meets current requirement.

Michael Carro : 3:54

Is that for the hood and installation and fire suppression?

Don Theriot : 3:57

Normally that is.

Michael Carro : 3:58

Oh see, I was thinking it was 2000 dollars a foot installed.

Don Theriot : 4:01

It's about $1,000 a foot depending on the complexity of the building, whether the ductwork has to be angled in various areas, then go to the roof for its proper operation.

Michael Carro : 4:13

You know, sidebar, you know, when we installed about 120, charbroilers into a bunch of restaurants we owned there is this duct system. That was pretty cool at the time. Now we're talking probably 15 years ago, but it had all of these great angles, which today is more commonplace, but it was a self insulated ductwork that went from the hood system out and you could go all different directions. It was pretty cool. And the interior dimensions was only about four inches, but it was great for hood cleaning systems.

Don Theriot : 4:46

Yes, there are all sorts of different types of accessories that are available so that you can access the ductwork for cleaning.

Michael Carro : 4:55

Now I see duct exits both on the side of buildings and on roofs. Why would you go on the side of a building versus the roof or is it just dealer's choice?

Don Theriot : 5:04

In multiple story buildings, in certain areas, you have to use a duct system that goes up through the roof of the building so that the grease laden vapors or let me say allowed to exhaust into the atmosphere. On the side wall mounted exhauster there may be a sidewalk below that fan and the grease laden vapors sometimes are discharged on to a low area where people walking by will have effect of those grease laden vapors. So typically what you see especially downtown Pensacola, that they exhaust ductwork is straight up and through the roof of the building.

Michael Carro : 5:49

Okay, Don, are there challenges that you face with different roofs based on load or types of trusses or things of that nature or most roofs fairly consistent,

Don Theriot : 5:59

Different buildings have different roof trusses, which will accept extra loads of weight of whether it be air conditioning systems or other things that happen to be positioned on the roof. So the roof trusses have to be of sufficient size and capacity to support the weight of the roof curb and the exhaust fan.

Michael Carro : 6:20

If they're not, do you need a structural engineer to bring in and maybe add a column that can support or what are the common remedies for something like that?

Don Theriot : 6:29

Usually during the inspection process when we go to visit the site, we normally will take a look at the roof number one and the supporting structure of the roof and then others we may call in other professionals should be deemed necessary to get their opinion as far as what you think the weight capacity of that roof.

Michael Carro : 6:51

All right, Don since hood systems are pulling all this conditioned air out of the building. How do you make up for that lost air to keep the restaurant cool in the summer months and of course warm in the winter months.

Don Theriot : 7:07

That effort is... the resulting air conditioning loss is tragic. I mean, it's a very expensive situation to exhaust conditioned air. So incorporated into the exhaust hood is a return air system that is engineered specifically for that particular exhaust hood. There's a return air fan that's on the roof with its own roof curb and its own ductwork that resupplies the space with unconditioned air, usually to take the place of the conditioned air that would be exhausted through the exhaust system for the hood to function properly. It's got to have the return air system incorporated into it specifications

Michael Carro : 7:49

Don the last item I wanted to ask you about hoods was hood cleaning. There will be another episode we're actually bringing in a hood cleaner to walk us through, but tell us how a hood is cleaned. Why it's cleaned.

Don Theriot : 8:01

The reason why it's cleaned is because this accumulation of grease that appears on the interior capture area of the hood can get to be a fire hazard. If it's not cleaned and maintained properly. The filters in the hood, take most of the grease laden particles out of the air by simply filtering the grease into the function of the filter.

Michael Carro : 8:28

And by the way, these are metal filters. And it requires the grease to go through a maze. So it captures most of the grease. We're not talking about a filter, like you would traditionally think of an air conditioning unit. And so these can be degreased on site by the restaurant itself, but then there's a secondary company that would come in and then pipe through the system from the roof down. And that's what you're referring to as well. The piping inside?

Don Theriot : 8:58

Yes, the ductwork has to be cleaned as well. And normally the cleaning service goes up on the roof and the exhaust fan is hinged and giving access to the ductwork and then it's cleaned from the top all the way down to the filters in the hood itself, and there are also access panels that are removable. If the ductwork is angled at anytime there's an excess panel that can be removed so that a scraper could be inserted into the ductwork

Michael Carro : 9:30

because that would be a natural collection area. Anytime that air has to bend and take a turn That's a likely collection point

Don Theriot : 9:38

Exactly. Which then if not properly maintained, can become a fire hazard.

Michael Carro : 9:42

Well, that wraps up another The Restaurant Realty and 10 program. I wanted to thank Don Theoit with KESCO for joining us. Thank you, Don.

Don Theriot : 9:50

Yes, sir. Thank you for having me. Michael,

Michael Carro : 9:52

You are very welcome. And we'll see you next time. Thank you for listening to The Restaurant Realty in 10. If you're interested in restaurants, whether operations, facilities, buying, leasing or investment The Restaurant Realty in 10 is for you. Please subscribe to this podcast and you can also visit TheRestaurantRealty.com for show notes, topics and additional information.