This week’s food inspections at Tri-Cities restaurants, food trucks & more

The Benton Franklin Health District gave two failing grades in food safety inspections of restaurants and other establishments selling food in the Tri-Cities area June 28 to July 4.

The health district’s food safety team gave passing marks on 30 inspections, with 18 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

Mexa Mexamerican Kitchen, 404 W. Lewis St., Pasco, Routine July 3 (35 Red, 8 Blue)

Notes: No certified food protection manager on staff; not properly disposing of potentially unsafe food (moldy cucumber, large container of food with lots of mold and eight-day-old ham with no date marked — all were discarded); raw meat improperly stored; lacking a proper consumer advisory (no advisory on menu for raw or undercooked food); lack of conformance with approved procedures.

Tacos El Jefe (Mobile), 1424 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, Follow-up July 1 (45 Red, 0 Blue)

Notes: Improper cooling procedures (cooked and cooled birria, cabeza, lengua and tripe in bags, which staff said were purchased at a meat market, but could not provide the name or receipt to verify if they had been cooked and cooled properly — all were voluntarily discarded); improper cold holding (>45°F — food in under-counter cooler too warm); lack of conformance with approved procedures.

Passed inspections

Atwood’s Tin Hat, 425 E. Bruneau Ave., Kennewick, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 3 Blue)

Becky’s Coffee Corner, 1120 Meade Ave., Prosser, Routine July 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Cattle Drive Drink Co., 190504 Highway 221, Paterson, Routine July 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Chiawana High School, 8125 W. Argent Road, Pasco, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Columbia Basin BMX Snack Shack, 2002 Snyder St., Richland, Routine June 29 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Domino’s Pizza, 101 S. Washington St., Kennewick, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

El Buen Gusto Restaurant, 710 Sixth St., Prosser, Routine July 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

El Tequilas, 109 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, Routine June 30 (15 Red, 3 Blue)

Fiesta, 2731 Queensgate Drive, Richland, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

The Habit Burger Grill, 2831 Duportail St., Richland, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Hawthorne Court Retirement, 524 N. Ely St., Kennewick, Routine July 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Hibachi Explosion, 7425 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Follow-up July 3 (5 Red, 0 Blue)

Ice Harbor, 350 Clover Island Drive, Kennewick, Routine June 30 (30 Red, 0 Blue)

James McGee Elementary School, 4601 N. Horizon Drive, Pasco, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Kahlotus Korners, 120 Pasco-Kahlotus Road, Pasco, Follow-up July 1 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Maverik, 3520 Keene Road, Richland, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Papa John’s Pizza, 125 Gage Blvd., Richland, Routine June 30 (5 Red, 0 Blue)

Players Sports Bar & Grill, 118 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Prosser Mini Mart (Food service and grocery), 1232 Meade Ave., Prosser, Routine July 3 (5 Red, 0 Blue)

PTM Market (Store), 1017 Kinney Way, Prosser, Routine July 3 (10 Red, 0 Blue)

Sake Express, 2576 Queensgate Drive, Richland, Routine June 30 (10 Red, 5 Blue)

Taqueria Los Volcanes (Mobile), 6193 W. Van Giesen St., West Richland, Routine July 2 (15 Red, 0 Blue)

Wake Up Call, 2525 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Wake Up Call, 7204 Burden Blvd., Pasco, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Wake Up Call, 300 N. Ely St., Kennewick, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Wake Up Call, 4033 W. Van Giesen St., West Richland, Routine July 1 (0 Red, 3 Blue)

Wingstop, 121 Gage Blvd., Richland, Routine June 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Woody’s Bullpen Bar & Grill, 4128 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Follow-up July 3 (5 Red, 5 Blue)

Yoke’s Fresh Market, 1401 Bombing Range Road, West Richland, Routine July 1 (Bakery 0 Red, 0 Blue) (Meat 5 Red, 0 Blue)

This story was originally published July 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.