9 failed food inspections. One Tri-City store forced to stop serving food

The Benton Franklin Health District gave nine failing grades for food safety inspections at restaurants and other establishments selling food in the Tri-Cities area from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6.

The health district’s food safety team gave passing marks on 35 inspections, with 16 of those earning perfect scores.

The Pit Stop Mini Mart in West Richland was required to stop selling food because it had not taken required steps during remodeling toward plumbing a dedicated handwashing sink. It had not reopened its food service as of Wednesday, Feb. 11, according to the health district.

The health district clarified its initial inspection report, saying that only food service was stopped and the store remained open.

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 follow-up 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, bare-hand contact with foods or refrigerating meat in a way that could contaminate other food.

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.

Information about passed and failed inspections includes only licensed establishments. The health district also responds to complaints of unlicensed pop-up food vendors in Benton and Franklin counties.

To see more inspection results, go to inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/bfhd.

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

Failed inspections

Bhullar Kennewick Store, 6006 Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Follow-up Feb. 5 (25 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Not properly disposing of potentially unsafe food (opened bag of hot dogs with no date); raw eggs not properly stored to prevent contamination of other food; lack of conformance with approved procedures.

El Asadero Restaurant II, 2318 W. Court St., Pasco, Routine Feb. 6 (40 Red, 10 Blue) Notes: No certified food protection manager on staff; improper storage of raw shrimp to prevent contamination of other food; improper room temperature storage (menudo, beef stew and heated chipotle stored without temperature control — sauce discarded); improper cold holding temperatures of 42-45°F (log must be kept of fridge temperature and technician assessment of fridge recommended).

One Stop Mart 55, 2221 E. Lewis St., Pasco, Routine Feb. 4 (50 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Improper cooling procedures (clam chowder discarded); cold holding temperatures >45°F (tubs of cooked and cooled food as warm as 53°F discarded); lack of conformance with approved procedures; improper preparation of raw eggs.

Pearl Coffee, 2221 E. Lewis St., Pasco, Routine Feb. 4 (65 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Lack of active managerial control; not properly disposing of potentially unsafe foods (cream cheese with expiration date of Jan. 11); hot holding temperatures not >135°F (tapioca boba not hot enough); hands not washed as required (worker did not wash hands before putting on gloves to handle a burrito).

Pit Stop Mini Mart, 6193 W. Van Giesen St., West Richland, Follow-up Feb. 3 (20 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Lack of compliance with approved procedures; inadequate handwashing facilities (no dedicated handwashing sink — food service stopped because remodeling paperwork to plumb sink that was required on Jan. 8, and also fees, had not been submitted).

7-Eleven, 415 Wright Ave., Richland, Follow-up Feb. 3 (25 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Hot holding temperatures not >135°F (cheeseburger bites on rollers discarded due to temperatures of 120-125°F).

Shogun Teriyaki & Sushi, 760 Dalton St., Richland, Follow-up Feb. 5 (35 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Not properly disposing of potentially unsafe foods (undated imitation crab mix); raw meats not stored away from ready-to-eat food to prevent cross contamination; lack of conformance with approved procedures; toxic substances not properly used (sanitizer solution above allowable concentration).

Teriyaki Grill, 5325 Road 68, Pasco, Routine Feb. 4 (45 Red, 6 Blue) Notes: No certified food protection manager on staff; lack of conformance with approved procedures; hands not washed as required (worker used phone and then handled produce to be cooked without washing hands); food worker cards not 100%.

Tri-City Adventist Academy, 4115 W. Henry St., Pasco, Routine Feb. 5 (40 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Improper room temperature storage (room temperature storage of raw eggs for sale); food obtained from unapproved source (raw eggs available to sell to students — school to discontinue selling food from a private home).

Passed inspections

Andy’s North, 3321 W. Court St., Pasco, Routine, Feb. 6 (25 Red, 0 Blue)

Angel’s Cafe, 2532 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, Routine, Feb. 4 (20 Red, 0 Blue)

Applebee’s, 5305 Road 68, Pasco, Routine, Feb. 4 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Bamboo Mongolian Grill, 2230 W. Court St., Pasco, Routine, Feb. 6 (0 Red, 5 Blue)

Chills Froyo, 2909 S. Quillan St., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 6 (0 Red, 5 Blue)

Chinook Middle School, 4891 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 5 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Ciel Senior Living of Tri-Cities, 7255 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick, Follow-up, Feb. 4 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Columbia Basin Racquet Club, 1776 Terminal Drive, Richland, Routine, Feb. 4 (25 Red, 0 Blue)

Dutch Bros, 119 Merlot Drive, Prosser, Routine, Feb. 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Eastgate Elementary School, 910 E. 10th Ave., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 6 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Fraternal Order/Eagles #2647, 1205 Bennett Ave., Prosser, Routine, Feb. 3 (10 Red, 5 Blue)

Gateway Chevron, 20 Merlot Drive, Prosser, Routine, Feb. 3 (10 Red, 0 Blue)

Grind Star Coffee, 813 W. Columbia Dr., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 5 (15 Red, 5 Blue)

Highlands Middle School, 425 S. Tweedt St., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 5 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Jammin’ Java, 101 Merlot Dr., Prosser, Routine, Feb. 3 (10 Red, 0 Blue)

Jose’s Taco Truck, 3680 W. Van Giesen, West Richland, Follow-up, Feb. 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Keene-Riverview Elementary School, 832 Park Ave., Prosser, Routine, Feb. 3 (10 Red, 0 Blue)

La Villa, 214 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, Routine, Feb. 4 (Meat 20 Red, 0 Blue) (Store 0 Red, 0 Blue)

Las Palomas Mexican Restaurant, 364 Chardonnay Ave., Prosser, Routine, Feb. 3 (15 Red, 0 Blue)

Masala Indian Cuisine, 3321 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 3 (20 Red, 0 Blue) (Caterer 0 Red, 0 Blue)

Prosser High School, 1500 Paterson Road, Prosser, Routine, Feb. 3 (10 Red, 0 Blue)

Prosser Thai Bistro, 614 Sixth St., Prosser, Routine, Feb. 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Red Mountain Kitchen (Commissary), 212 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 5 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Roma House, 617 The Parkway, Richland, Routine, Feb. 3 (15 Red, 0 Blue)

Skipper’s, 3307 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 3 (10 Red, 5 Blue)

Some Bagels Too, 810 S. Washington St., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 5 (5 Red, 5 Blue)

Spudnut Shop, 5216 W. Okanogan Place, Kennewick, Follow-up, Feb. 5 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Subway, 2624 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 3 (25 Red, 0 Blue)

Taco Bell, 2718 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 3 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Taco Bell, 3623 Plaza Way, Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 4 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

The Pick Me Up Coffee Co., 4301 W. 27th Ave., Kennewick, Follow-up, Feb. 4 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Tip’s Thai House, 2909 S. Quillan St., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 6 (25 Red, 5 Blue)

Westgate Elementary School, 2514 W. Fourth Ave., Kennewick, Routine, Feb. 5 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

This story was originally published February 12, 2026 at 6:15 AM.