I need a commercial ventilation hood with exhaust fan for my
restaurant.  Who is the best manufacturer of this type of equipment?

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Request for Question Clarification by chromedome-ga on 28 Jun 2003 12:36 PDT

Hello, Enterhere...

Your question as it stands is a difficult one to answer.  Making an
authoritative statement that *any* product is the best of its type is
iffy at best.  However, there are many reputable manufacturers in this
particular field (I cook in a restaurant, myself, and spend my
evenings with my head under a vent hood).

Hoods range widely in size and power, from smaller models that are
adequate to an individual four-burner range to monster installations
which will vent a whole kitchen (multiple ranges, grilles, cooktops,
deepfryers, etc).  If you could offer us some guidance regarding the
size and power of hood you need, I'm sure we could source one or more
high-quality products for you.

An important caveat (I'm sure you're ahead of me on this, but I'll
mention it anyway) is to know what you need to meet code in your
location.  Sometimes a vent which is physically adequate to the task
may not satisfy local requirements.

Looking forward to your reply,

-Chromedome

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Clarification of Question by enterhere-ga on 02 Jul 2003 10:35 PDT

I am not sure what the code is in my area.  I want someone to look at
my plans for my kitchen and my equipment and tell me exactly what I
need to do at a good price.      I want to let experts handle this and
I def want the best manufacturer.  I want a good system because I do
know how important it is being a chef myself.  Thnx a bunch.  Let me
know if you need anything else=)

Hi enterhere,

I live in Seattle and my Father owned a company that sold restaurant
equipment to Commercial establishments for over 40 years. His major
supplier was Bargreen (which became Bargreen-Ellingson), a 43 year old
company that has 9 stores. I spoke to the General Manager there; Jeff
Gentling, and he has schooled me on the answer to your question:

SEATTLE - Bargreen-Ellingson
1275 Mercer Street
Seattle, WA 98109

Local: (206) 682-1472   
Toll Free: (800) 525-0131
Fax: (206) 682-2367

General Manager: Jeff Gentling
Hours of Operation: M-F 8a-6p  -- Sat 9a-1p

****Jeff Gentling is expecting you to call so he can better assist you
in determining your exact needs. He is more than willing to go over
your restaurant plans and give you professional advice as to whether a
custom design is necessary or if you could purchase a premanufactured
design. Call the main number sand ask for him.

Any qualified installation company would install the hood to your
local code specifications. It would be inspected by local building
inspectors as a matter of course.

Here's the link to Jeff Gentling's Company:

Bargreen-Ellingson
http://www.bargreen.com/
..."Founded in 1960, Bargreen-Ellingson has grown to be one of the
largest multi-service food service equipment supply, restaurant design
and fabrication companies in the country.  The Full Spectrum advantage
at Bargreen-Ellingson is the dynamic result of combining all of the
elements necessary to totally design, fabricate, equip, and supply
virtually any food service entity, at any location..."

What Jeff Gentling said is that if money is not a concern, the best
hood with exhsust would be custom manufactured ventilation/exhaust
hood specifically suited for your particular application. I pressed
him a bit as far as the top-of-the-line premanufactured hoods and he
gave me two brand names of high-end "off-the-shelf" equipment:

Here's the two companies that manufacture premade equipment that he
recommended:

GAYLORD INDUSTRIES - Kitchen Exhaust Ventilators (Hoods)
MAIN PAGE:  http://www.gaylordusa.com/indexj.html
HOODS:  http://www.gaylordusa.com/hoods.html
A Brief History:  http://www.gaylordusa.com/company.html

AND:

AVTEC INDUSTRIES
http://www.avtecind.com/
..."The vision of Avtec is to be the marketing driven preferred
supplier of the highest quality reliable fabrication and ventilation
products and related performance services to the foodservice industry
by being customer focused, responsive, passionate employees who are
measured by our customers' satisfaction, our brand strength and growth
in sales and profitability..."

Please call Jeff as I told him you would be calling to discuss your
needs. If I can be of further assistance, please don't hesitate to
contact me, before rating my answer, ok?

Sincerely,
~~Cynthia

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