Sushi restaurant, 2 markets and 2 taco trucks fail Tri-Cities food inspections

The Benton Franklin Health District gave five failing grades in food safety inspections of restaurants and other establishments selling food in the Tri-Cities area May 31 to June 6.

The health district’s food safety team gave passing marks on 29 inspections, with 10 of those earning perfect scores.

In the district’s routine inspections, businesses or organizations that receive at least 35 points for the more serious red violations are required to have additional inspections and must meet a tougher standard on those.

To pass followup inspections, they must have fewer than 25 red points and fewer than 10 repeat red points for previous issues.

Scores of 85 or more red points result in establishments remaining on probation until they pass two follow-up inspections, the first one within 72 hours.

Red violations are those most likely to cause food-borne illnesses, such as not keeping hot food hot enough or cold food cold enough, inadequate handwashing or bare-hand contact with foods.

Blue violations are low risk factors related to the cleanliness and physical condition of an establishment.

No notice is given before the inspections.

Businesses may have separate inspections of business lines with different health safety risks, such as grocery sales and a deli that prepares food.

Inspection results are posted online so residents can look up the status and the details of any violations of individual restaurants or check other businesses.

Go to bit.ly/BFHDinspections. Click on the business name and then on the date of the inspection on the right half of the next page. Look for the “Violations” tab.

For questions or complaints about food safety in Benton or Franklin counties, email contactusfoodsafety@BFHD.WA.GOV.

To participate in the health district’s food safety topics survey, go to bit.ly/BFHDfoodsafetysurvey.

Failed inspections

Julissa’s Meat Market (Food service), 1120 W. Sylvester St., Pasco, Routine June 6 (35 Red, 0 Blue)

Notes: No certified food protection manager on staff; improper shellstock identification procedures; improper cooling procedures (two pots of stew discarded).

Kahlotus Korners, 120 Pasco-Kahlotus Road, Pasco, Routine June 5 (40 Red, 3 Blue)

Notes: Inadequate handwashing facilities (temporarily used for thawing bottle); raw meat improperly stored; room temperature storage or improper use of time as a control.

Sushi Ya, 731 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick, Follow-up June 5 (65 Red, 3 Blue)

Notes: No certified food protection manager on staff; bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods (employee handled baked mussels with bare hands); room temperature storage; improper cold holding (>45°F — some fish in cold hold sushi window too warm).

Tacos El Jefe (Mobile), 1424 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, Follow-up June 3 (35 Red, 0 Blue)

Notes: Improper cooling procedures (some rice discarded); lack of conformance with approved procedures.

Tacos La Esperanza (Mobile), 1315 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, Routine June 6 (50 Red, 0 Blue)

Notes: No certified food protection manager on staff; improper cooling procedures (meat voluntarily discarded); improper cold holding (>45°F — some meat in fridge not cold enough because of too much food stacked on top of it); lack of conformance with approved procedures.

Passed inspections

Bonefish Grill, 133 Gage Blvd., Richland, Routine June 6 (15 Red, 5 Blue)

Cafe’nated, 507 Ninth St., Benton City, Routine June 5 (10 Red, 0 Blue)

Canyon Lakes Duck Pond, 3700 W. Canyon Lakes Drive, Kennewick, Routine June 3 (30 Red, 0 Blue)

Dallas Gasoline, 5151 Trowbridge Blvd., Richland, Routine June 4 (15 Red, 0 Blue)

Dickeys Barbeque Pit, 2530 Queensgate Drive, Richland, Routine June 4 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Doggie Style Gourmet (Cart), 591 Stevens Drive, Richland, Routine June 5 (20 Red, 5 Blue)

El Sabor De Mexico, 516 Ninth St., Benton City, Routine June 5 (10 Red, 5 Blue)

Farm Hand Winery, 8101 W. 10th Ave., Kennewick, Routine June 3 (5 Red, 0 Blue)

Finley General Store (Deli), 214410 E. Highway 397 Kennewick, Routine June 3 (20 Red, 0 Blue)

Grumpy Monkey Cookie Co., 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick, Routine June 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Heavenly Sweets, 104 S. Tacoma St., Pasco, Routine June 5 (20 Red, 0 Blue)

Julissa’s Meat Market (Grocery), 1120 W. Sylvester St., Pasco, Routine June 6 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Kona Ice Of Pasco (Mobile), 608 Williams Blvd., Richland, Routine June 5 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

La Jalpita, 202 W. Lewis St., Pasco, Follow-up June 3 (15 Red, 0 Blue)

Meals On Wheels, 505 N. First Ave., Pasco, Routine June 5 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Novel Coffee, 950 George Washington Way, Richland, Routine June 5 (5 Red, 5 Blue)

Nuevo Amanecer, 1411 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, Routine June 6 (5 Red, 3 Blue)

Pacific Pasta & Grill, 603 Goethals Drive, Richland, Routine June 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Panera Bread, 2768 Duportail St., Richland, Routine June 4 (0 Red, 5 Blue)

Papa Murphy’s Take And Bake Pizza, 612 Gage Blvd., Richland, Routine June 5 (30 Red, 0 Blue)

The Peacock, 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick, Follow-up June 3 (0 Red, 5 Blue)

Socorro’s Catering Mobile (Commissary use), 1206 Horne Road, Benton City, Routine June 5 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Sweet Squeeze Lemonade, Event Based Pasco, Routine May 31 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Texas Roadhouse, 835 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick, Routine June 3 (0 Red, 5 Blue)

The Pick Me Up Coffee Co., 5151 Trowbridge Blvd., Richland, Routine June 4 (20 Red, 5 Blue)

Tieton Farm & Creamery, 18796 Summitview Road, Tieton, Routine June 6 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

V-5 Market, 1009 Dale Ave., Benton City, Routine June 5 (5 Red, 0 Blue)

Wake Up Coffee, 2615 S. Vancouver St., Kennewick, Routine June 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Yummy’s Tacos, 25001 S. Haney Road, Kennewick, Routine June 3 (10 Red, 5 Blue)

This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 12:30 PM.