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Q1 hits fast—and it doesn’t let up. Within just a few weeks, operators face three of the biggest foodservice events of the year: Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day, and St. Patrick’s Day. Each celebration brings its own challenges, from high-volume frying to elegant plating to festive drink specials.

The key to navigating this busy season successfully is simple: plan your purchases around the operational needs behind each holiday. When your kitchen is equipped for volume, presentation, storage, and creativity, your team is set up for smooth service and exceptional guest experiences.

Below, we’ve broken down the most important Q1 operational focuses and the products that support them—so you can move into the season confident, prepared, and ready to shine.

1. Event-Ready Frying & Oil Management

Few days demand more from your fryers than Super Bowl Sunday and St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you’re serving wings, fries, appetizers, or pub-style favorites, maintaining clean oil and efficient equipment is essential for quality, speed, and cost control.

Disco Fryer Filter Papers

Daily filtration is a simple habit with big impact. Disco’s fryer filter papers help operators:

• Remove sediment and food particles that cause oil to break down
• Keep oil clearer between fry cycles
• Extend usable oil life
• Improve flavor, texture, and consistency of fried foods

SMART-TABS™ Fryer Cleaner Tablets

A clean fryer performs better—and Smart Tabs make deep cleaning easy. Using advanced nano-science technology, these concentrated boil-out tablets remove heavy soil, fat, grease, and buildup that can affect both oil quality and equipment efficiency.

Smart Tabs are:

• Low-foaming for safer, easier boil-outs
• High-strength, cutting through stubborn residue
• Effective at supporting longer oil life by resetting the fryer interior
• Useful beyond the fryer, restoring tile, grout, and concrete floors

2. Seasonal Presentation That Elevates Every Q1 Holiday

Q1 isn’t just busy—it’s festive. Guests expect themed menus, fun touches, and visually appealing plates and drinks throughout the season. Whether you’re serving game-day appetizers, romantic desserts, or St. Patrick’s Day cocktails, presentation plays a big part in the guest experience.

TableCraft Holiday Picks

TableCraft’s Holiday Picks make it easy to add personality, color, and theme-driven detail to any menu item across all three major Q1 events. Operators use them to:

• Add festive flair to Super Bowl sliders, wings, sandwiches, and cocktails
• Bring a romantic touch to Valentine’s Day desserts, specialty drinks, and sharable plates
• Create playful, on-theme presentations for St. Patrick’s Day appetizers and beverages

3. Cold Storage & Bar Efficiency

Q1 demands tight organization and reliable refrigeration. From high-traffic bar programs to ingredient-heavy Valentine’s menus, you need equipment that keeps pace with the holiday rush.

Continental Back Bar Refrigeration

A busy bar needs refrigeration that keeps pace—and Continental’s back bar units deliver reliable performance during the heaviest Super Bowl and St. Patrick’s Day rushes. Built for constant use, they maintain steady temperatures and keep beverages service-ready throughout the day.

Continental Back Bar units offer:

• Consistent cooling even with frequent door openings
• Durable construction designed for high-volume environments
• Thoughtful interior layouts that make restocking fast and simple
• Clear product visibility for smoother bar service

Continental Reach-Ins

Valentine’s Day prep requires precision, and Continental reach-ins give kitchens the stable temperatures and organized storage they need to execute multi-course menus and time-sensitive specials with ease.

Continental reach-ins help operators:

• Keep ingredients at safe, consistent temperatures
• Stay organized with adjustable shelving and spacious interiors
• Improve prep flow across multiple stations
• Rely on durable, easy-clean construction built for daily use

4. Seasonal Menu Creativity & Signature Specials

Blendtec Chef Blender

Creativity comes easier with a blender that can keep up. The Blendtec Chef Blender brings strong power and chef-friendly control to Q1 menus, making quick work of sauces, purées, dessert components, and festive green specials.

The Chef Blender features:

• A powerful 4.0 HP input motor for fast, smooth blends
• Variable-speed control for precision texture adjustments
• A large 96 oz jar for high-volume batches
• Blunt blade technology and a tamper for dense or thick blends

Plan Ahead Now—Your Q1 Success Starts Early

Super Bowl Sunday, Valentine’s Day, and St. Patrick’s Day may feel far apart, but for operators, they arrive quickly and require serious preparation. By planning purchases around your core operational needs—frying efficiency, presentation, cold storage, and creative flexibility—you set your team up for a smooth, profitable start to the year.

At FH&W, we’re here to help you choose the right tools, simplify your workflow, and support your success with solutions you can trust. If you’re exploring new menu ideas or want hands-on time with the equipment featured here, we’d love to host you in our test kitchen. Let’s make Q1 your strongest season yet.