How often restaurant hoods should be cleaned depends on the fuel and the cooking volume, and a Korean BBQ dining room often uses the strictest line. The NFPA 96 inspection table sets a monthly interval for systems that serve solid fuel cooking, such as charcoal. It sets quarterly for high-volume cooking, semiannually for moderate volume and annually for low volume. The local fire authority decides which category applies to your restaurant, and its rules can be stricter.

These intervals are for inspecting the exhaust system for grease buildup. When an inspection finds grease deposits, NFPA 96 requires a properly trained, qualified and certified company or person acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction to clean the contaminated parts. That is the wording of the 2017 edition, as quoted by the Village of New Paltz.

NFPA 96 inspection intervals by cooking operation

The 2017 edition of NFPA 96 lists four intervals for inspecting exhaust systems for grease buildup:

Solid fuel cooking operations: monthly.
High-volume cooking operations, such as 24-hour cooking, charbroiling or wok cooking: quarterly.
Moderate-volume cooking operations: semiannually.
Low-volume cooking operations, such as churches, day camps, seasonal businesses or senior centers: annually.

Source: the 2017 table as reproduced by the Village of New Paltz. The Kansas State Fire Marshal and Massachusetts publish the same four intervals. NFPA lists a newer edition on its NFPA 96 page. Ask your fire department which edition it enforces.

Why a Korean BBQ restaurant needs its own schedule

A typical restaurant has one line of hoods over the kitchen. A Korean BBQ dining room adds an exhaust point at each grill table, such as an overhead table hood or a downdraft unit. Each of those connects to duct runs and a fan that collect grease. Inspection and cleaning should cover the whole system.

Charcoal tables

Charcoal is a solid fuel. A system that serves charcoal grills falls under the monthly line of the NFPA 96 table. The gas vs. charcoal grill guide covers the other trade-offs of charcoal service.

Gas table grills

The table has no line for Korean BBQ. It names charbroiling as a high-volume operation, but it does not say whether a gas table grill counts as one. Ask the fire authority and your cleaning contractor to classify your gas tables. Do not assume the semiannual interval.

One building, more than one interval

A restaurant can run charcoal tables, gas tables and a separate kitchen line. Each exhaust system can fall into a different category. Keep one schedule per system, not one date for the whole building.

Local rules can be stricter

Some fire departments publish their own schedules:

New York City: the FDNY cleaning notice says solid fuel systems must be inspected once a month by a trained person and cleaned at least every three months by a person who holds a W-64/P-64 Certificate of Fitness.
Portland, Oregon: the fire bureau policy lists every month for systems that use solid fuel or wok cooking.
California: the California Fire Code text on the ICC site lists 1 month for solid fuel, 3 months for high-volume cooking and 6 months for all other cooking operations. It points to ANSI/IKECA C10 for the cleaning method. Confirm the current text with your local fire department.

Does hood cleaning need a certified company?

For the exhaust system itself, yes. NFPA 96 calls for a trained, qualified and certified company or person acceptable to the local authority. Some cities set the credential by name. The FDNY requires an approved company for ducts and other parts above the hood. Massachusetts requires a Type 1 license holder for inspections. Ask your fire department which credential it accepts.

What staff can do between service visits

Staff can handle the parts the hood manual lets them remove. Duct and fan cleaning belongs to the certified cleaner.

Grease filters: the FDNY commercial cooking guide requires cleaning at least once a month by a trained person. The filters do not need a certificate holder. Set your own filter interval with the hood manual, your cleaner and the local rule.
Filter fit: the Kansas fire marshal guidance says filters must be in place with no gaps and does not allow mesh filters. Check that every filter is seated before service.
Grease collectors: collectors on table hoods are small. The Korean BBQ Exhaust Hood Type A listing describes a slanted stainless steel filter that drains into a 66 mL removable collector. The Type B listing names a 150 ml collector. Check and empty collectors as part of the closing checklist.
Downdraft units: the DB-2017G downdraft hood listing describes a 4-stage filter system. Ask for the service steps and replacement parts for that exact model.

Two used stainless steel baffle grease filters from a Korean BBQ table hood on a sheet pan, with grease buildup in the channels — Illustration: grease filters removed from a table hood for cleaning.

What the cleaning company should leave behind

The 2017 edition of NFPA 96, as quoted by the Village of New Paltz, requires two records after each inspection or cleaning:

A certificate kept on the premises. It shows the servicing company, the person who did the work and the date.
A sticker on the hood that shows the next inspection or cleaning date.

Portland also requires the label to list areas that were not cleaned. Ask any contractor for a written report that names unreached sections, such as a duct run without an access panel. Fire departments describe the standard as clean to bare metal. Both Portland and the FDNY use that phrase.

Korean BBQ restaurant dining room after closing, with table grills covered in plastic, table exhaust hoods overhead and a cart of removed hood filters — Illustration: a dining room prepared for a table hood and duct cleaning visit.

Plan cleaning access before you install

A cleaner can only clean what the crew can reach. Each table exhaust adds duct length and joints. Ask the hood cleaning contractor to review the duct route and the access panels during design. The Korean BBQ ventilation guide covers hood types, duct routes and make-up air. The downdraft retrofit survey lists the checks for an existing building.

Questions to ask a hood cleaning contractor

Which NFPA 96 edition and local code does the fire inspector enforce at this address?
Which category do you assign to our charcoal tables, gas tables and kitchen line?
Which certificate or license does your crew hold for this city?
Will you clean each table duct run through to the fan?
Will your report list every section you could not reach?
Which certificate and hood label will you leave after each visit?

Next step

Planning a new Korean BBQ build or replacing table hoods? Compare Korean BBQ exhaust hoods, then request a quote with your table count and fuel type. Your ventilation designer and local fire authority confirm the final exhaust and cleaning requirements.

How often should restaurant hoods be cleaned? A Korean BBQ schedule