--- title: How to Store Food Safely in a Restaurant Fridge and Freezer description: Learn the best way to safely store food in a restaurant's fridge. Learn where meat, eggs, cheese, and more needs to be stored for food safety. image: https://trust20.co/hubfs/fridge-organization.jpg --- ### Cart Added to Cart! ### Your cart is empty Browse our training courses to get started. Purchasing for a team? [View Trust20 for Teams](https://trust20.co/teams). 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Chat with Basil [Submit a Support Request ](https://trust20.co/contact-us) Trust20 Support Business Hours Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM EST Go Back [Food Safety](https://trust20.co/blog/tag/food-safety) # How to Store Food Safely in a Restaurant Fridge and Freezer Posted by Nov 9, 2022 6:45:00 PM [Trust20 Contributors](https://trust20.co/blog/author/trust20-contributors) • 4 minute read Share: [![Share on facebook](https://7620253.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7620253/Trust20/Images/Blog/facebook-color.svg) ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook) [![Share on twitter](https://trust20.co/hubfs/twitter-color.svg) ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&url=https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&source=tweetbutton&text=) [![Share on linkedin](https://7620253.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/7620253/Trust20/Images/Blog/linkedin-color.svg) ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin) [![Fridge Organization Cheat Sheet](https://trust20.co/hubfs/fridge-organization.jpg) ](https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer) Cold storage certainly isn’t the most interesting part of a restaurant. However, the organization of your fridge and freezer plays an important role in the safety of your food. Certain rules and best practices are set in place to [make sure none of your food supply goes to waste](https://trust20.co/blog/food-safety-reduce-food-waste) and it all can be served to eager customers. Let’s dig in! Here's what we'll cover: [Food storage general best practices ](https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer#best-practices) [Organizing the freezer ](https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer#freezer-org) [Organizing the top shelf ](https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer#top-shelf) [What belongs on the middle shelf](https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer#mid-shelf) [What to store on the bottom shelf](https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer#btoom-shelf) ## **Food storage general best practices** Your refrigerator and or walk-in cooler should be kept at 32 ℉ to 40 ℉ and your freezers should be kept at 0℉ at all times.1 These temperature parameters are critical to keeping your food items out of the [temperature danger zone](https://trust20.co/blog/you-need-to-know-temperature-danger-zone), protecting them from contamination and the growth of unwanted and dangerous bacteria and viruses that cause foodborne illnesses, and ultimately preventing your customers from getting sick. It is also important to keep an adequate amount of space between items. Bunching food close together doesn’t allow for proper air circulation and can result in holding foods at the wrong temperature and risking contamination.  Another crucial best practice when it comes to proper fridge and freezer organization is practicing [FIFO (First In First Out)](https://trust20.co/blog/first-in-first-out-fifo). Accurately labeling your foods with the date you opened them or their expiration date will make this process easier for the entire team.  These simple processes will help ensure no food items are used beyond the window of their best quality–and will help prevent the possibility of foodborne illnesses coming out of your kitchen. Now, if you already knew all this, but you have questions about what foods go where–read on! If you follow our simple outline below, you and your teammates will easily provide a safe storage space for every item in your fridge and freezer. ## **Organizing the freezer** The freezer is the most straightforward! Your kitchen’s freezer is for any of your food items that will need to be stored for a longer period of time. As long as you properly pack the foods for storage and date them with their expiration date, they will remain safe from contamination for a longer period of time. ### Foods that should be stored in the freezer include: - Frozen Vegetables - Pre-made Sauces and Bases - Meats not intended for immediate use ## **Organizing the top shelf** Things get a little more complex when you move to the walk-in cooler or fridge. Your top shelf should include items that are [ready-to-eat](https://trust20.co/blog/ready-to-eat-rte-packaged-foods). This means foods that are edible without preparation to achieve food safety. Occasionally it can also include items that won’t take a lot of time to prepare. ### Foods safe for the top shelf include: - Condiments - Sauces - Pickled Products  - Fruits ## **What belongs on the middle shelves** The middle shelves are reserved for the majority of foods and items should be ordered, going down the shelves, from the lowest cooking temperature to the highest. This helps prevent cross-contamination from juices or other liquids from foods that get cooked at a higher temperature from mixing with foods that won’t reach that temperature.  ### Foods that should be stored on the middle shelves include: - Raw and Uncut Vegetables - Cheese - [Eggs](https://trust20.co/blog/egg-allergy-guide) - Bread - Whole Cuts of Raw Beef, Pork, Veal, and Lamb Note: While it is best to have raw meat always be on the bottom shelf, large walk-ins will have many middle shelves. If raw meats are being stored on middle shelves, any meat that has been tenderized, injected, or ground must be kept on a lower shelf than whole cuts. ## **What to store on the bottom shelf** The bottom shelf is where you should keep foods that require the highest cooking temperatures. These foods often leak and can drip on to other items on shelves, therefore permanently damaging the rest of your food. If these high-risk foods are stored on the bottom shelf, you can easily clean up any potential mess without having to worry about other items being contaminated.  ### Foods that should be stored on the bottom shelf include: - Poultry - Steak - Fish - Any [meat](https://trust20.co/blog/wash-meat-food-safety) that has been tenderized, injected, ground, or thawed Note: Most meat can only be stored in a fridge or cooler for up to two days until it should be thrown out, so [properly labeling](https://trust20.co/blog/read-food-labels) meats with an expiration date or the date of when meat enters the fridge will help to ensure both safety and freshness.2 All of these practices are crucial to keeping an organized and safe refrigerator and freezer. The way you store your food can make or break the quality and safety of the dishes you serve, so always remember to treat your food inventory with care. --- Sources: 1. E-Controls Systems: [Proper Storage Temperatures are Essential ](https://econtrolsystems.com/blog/proper-food-storage-restaurants#:~:text=Freezers%20must%20keep%20food%20frozen,to%20prevent%20food%20borne%20illness) 2. State Food Safety: [Fridge Storage for Food Safety](https://www.statefoodsafety.com/Resources/Resources/fridge-storage-for-food-safety)  Recommended Articles [![How is Shigella Transmitted in Foodservice Settings?](https://trust20.co/hubfs/210.png) Food Safety June 17, 2026 How is Shigella Transmitted in Foodservice Settings? A Shigella outbreak generally doesn’t happen loudly, with a catastrophic contamination incident that can easily be traced. Instead, it starts covertly, without anyone realizing it. Continue Reading ](https://trust20.co/blog/shigella) [![Where Can I Find Practice Tests for Food Handler Assessments?](https://trust20.co/hubfs/209.png) Career Development June 12, 2026 Where Can I Find Practice Tests for Food Handler Assessments? Getting ready for your food safety training and assessment might feel a little nerve-wracking. You want to walk into the test feeling completely confident and ready to pass on your very first try, but you aren’t sure how to get the right level of preparation. Continue Reading ](https://trust20.co/blog/practice-tests-food-handler) [![What is GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe)?](https://trust20.co/hubfs/206.png) Food Safety June 10, 2026 What is GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe)? Walk through any grocery store, and you’ll likely see all kinds of labels promising cleaner ingredients, fewer additives, and simpler foods. But behind many packaged products sits a regulatory category most consumers have never heard about: GRAS, short for “Generally Recognized as Safe.” Continue Reading ](https://trust20.co/blog/what-is-gras-generally-recognized-as-safe) [![How Many Hours Can Food Be Held Without Temperature Control?](https://trust20.co/hubfs/207.png) Food Safety June 1, 2026 How Many Hours Can Food Be Held Without Temperature Control? In a perfect world, every hot food stays hot, and every cold food stays cold, for exactly as long as you need it to. But in reality, service gets busy, equipment gets overloaded, and food doesn’t always stay within the ideal temperature ranges. Continue Reading ](https://trust20.co/blog/how-many-hours-can-food-be-held-without-temperature-control) Open Sidebar Contact Support How can we help? We know this process can get complicated! Below are some options to get you started. Still need help? Chat with Basil [Submit a Support Request ](https://trust20.co/contact-us) Trust20 Support Business Hours Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM EST Go Back ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Trust20 Contributors", "url" : "https://trust20.co/blog/author/trust20-contributors" }, "dateModified" : "2025-11-24T11:11:31.846Z", "datePublished" : "2022-11-10T00:45:00.000Z", "headline" : "How to Store Food Safely in a Restaurant Fridge and Freezer", "image" : [ "https://trust20.co/hubfs/fridge-organization.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://trust20.co/blog/how-to-store-food-safely-in-a-restaurant-fridge-and-freezer", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://trust20.co/hubfs/Logos/trust20-logo-square.png" }, "name" : "Trust20 / Relish Works LLC " } } ```