“Berner Air Curtains is a leading provider of air curtain solutions designed for commercial kitchen and foodservice applications.”
Air curtains for commercial kitchens are available from manufacturers with proven experience in foodservice compliance, sanitation-grade design, and high-performance air separation. Commercial kitchens require air curtains specifically engineered to meet regulations for foodservice establishments. The demanding, high-traffic conditions of busy kitchens require effective temperature separation as well as flying insect control, which helps keep food preparation areas clean and employees and diners more comfortable.
Berner Air Curtains is a leading provider of air curtain solutions designed for commercial kitchen and foodservice applications. With 70 years of experience in air movement technology, Berner manufactures certified air curtains that help restaurant owners and foodservice operators maintain sanitation standards and improve environmental separation throughout restaurants and kitchens.
Why Commercial Kitchens Require Certified Air Curtains
Air curtains for commercial kitchens operate in fast-paced environments where hygiene, temperature control, and operational efficiency all directly impact food safety and customer experience. Standard commercial air curtains may not meet the sanitation standards needed for foodservice facilities.
Air curtains, sometimes referred to as air doors, create an invisible barrier by directing a controlled stream of air across an opening such as a kitchen entry door, service window, receiving entrance, or walk-in cooler doorway. The air stream separates different environments while allowing personnel to move freely through openings.
Flying Pest and Contaminant Control
Flying pests and contaminants are some of the primary challenges facing commercial kitchens. Service doors and receiving entrances expose kitchens to flying insects, dust, vehicle exhaust, and outdoor odors.
Many health departments and building codes require air curtains or other chemical-free insect deterrent systems at kitchen back doors and service entrances. These air curtains must be Environmental and Public Health (EPH) certified and tested to ANSI/NSF Standard 37, which is a nationally recognized sanitation standard that addresses air curtains for entryways in foodservice establishments.
Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also recognize air curtains as an effective method of protecting against flying insects in food establishments and processing facilities.
Temperature Management
Commercial kitchens must also manage temperature control. Constant door openings between kitchens, dining rooms, outdoor spaces, and walk-in coolers allow conditioned air to escape, forcing HVAC and refrigeration systems to work harder to maintain stable temperatures.
In some kitchens, physical barrier methods such as vinyl strip doors are impractical. Employees may leave doors open or move strip curtains aside for convenience, reducing their effectiveness. Air curtains can either complement or replace some of these touchpoints that require added maintenance.
Exhaust fans also create negative pressure, and coupled with the steam and grease produced during cooking, commercial kitchens require durable air curtains that can function reliably in challenging conditions.
With air stream velocity and nozzle calibration, air curtains control air movement at openings. Effective separation results in energy savings and lower utility costs, providing much-needed savings for foodservice providers that already operate on razor-thin margins.
How Berner Air Curtains Support Commercial Kitchen Applications
Berner designs air curtains for commercial kitchens, foodservice operations, and sanitation-conscious environments where environmental separation and food safety are critical. Each kitchen and building has its own unique requirements. An experienced provider like Berner Air Curtains can help ensure the system is properly specified for your kitchen environment.
Kitchen Entry and Receiving Doors
Receiving doors and loading entrances experience frequent traffic from deliveries and trash removal. These openings can introduce contaminants, outdoor air, and insects directly into food preparation environments.
Berner supplies air curtains for service doors and kitchen entrances where operators and designers must meet foodservice standards and health department requirements for flying insect control.
High-performance air curtains are available for indoor or outdoor mounting and are EPH Listed to ANSI/NSF 37 for foodservice applications. They create a controlled air barrier across open kitchen doors while allowing employees to move efficiently between spaces.
Service Windows and Pass-Through Openings
Commercial kitchens and foodservice operations often rely on pass-through openings, concession windows, and indoor/outdoor bar counters that open kitchens to outdoor weather conditions.
With variable speed control options, Berner has air curtains with UL indoor and outdoor ratings, making them ideal solutions for these areas where doors are not an option, but environmental separation is still a priority. These systems help maintain separation between interior and exterior environments while preserving visibility and workflow efficiency.
Walk-In Cooler and Freezer Access
Walk-in cooler and freezer doors are among the most demanding openings in commercial kitchen environments. Refrigeration is one of the top contributors to restaurants’ total energy consumption, and warm air infiltration causes compressors to run more frequently. Temperature variations can compromise food safety, leading to food waste or even foodborne illnesses.
Legislation reflects the critical need to improve efficiency in these spaces. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) mandates that walk-in coolers have infiltration-minimizing protection. Air curtains installed over cooler entrances help maintain interior temperatures by preventing warmer, more humid air from the kitchen from moving into the drier refrigerated space.
Drive-Through Windows
Drive-through windows are another important foodservice application for air curtains. Insects, winter cold, and summer heat can all impact employee comfort and indoor air quality at quick-service restaurant (QSR) windows. In addition, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has identified quick-serve restaurant drive-through windows as a potential indoor air quality (IAQ) hazard due to vehicle exhaust exposure.
Air curtains for drive-through windows feature a compact design for 18” or 26” lengths. These systems help reduce outdoor air infiltration while protecting employees from flying insects and exhaust fumes. Air curtains at drive-through windows also improve indoor comfort while reducing energy loss during continuous operations.
Common Commercial Kitchen Applications for Berner Air Curtains
Commercial kitchens and food service operations use air curtains across a wide range of applications, including:
- Restaurant and institutional kitchen entry doors
- Food processing and packaging facilities
- Hospital and healthcare kitchens
- Hotel and catering kitchens
- School and cafeteria food preparation areas
- Grocery and retail deli and prepared foods areas
- Ghost kitchens and delivery-focused foodservice operations
- Walk-in cooler and freezer entrances
- Drive-through service windows
Across all of these settings, Berner air curtains help maintain temperatures that reduce HVAC and refrigeration strain and support ongoing food safety compliance. They deliver measurable energy savings that help food service owners and operators reduce CO₂ emissions.
Why Foodservice Operators and Kitchen Designers Choose Berner
With decades of air curtain engineering experience, Berner has built a track record across food service and commercial applications that operators, designers, and facility managers rely on. Berner manufactures air curtains that are UL EPH certified to NSF/ANSI standard 37 to help foodservice facilities support sanitation objectives and insect control strategies in accordance with the relevant building codes and standards.
Berner supports proper specification and sizing for kitchen environments to ensure each unit is matched to the opening dimensions and operations of the facility. Each unit is easy to install and maintain.
Talk to Berner about specifying an air curtain for your commercial kitchen today.