Cockroaches & raw chicken prep: Tri-Cities restaurant, school kitchen inspections

The Benton Franklin Health District gave seven failing grades for food safety inspections at restaurants and other establishments selling food in the Tri-Cities area from April 25 to May 1.

The health district’s food safety team gave passing marks on 30 inspections, with 16 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 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, with one business line passing and another failing.

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.

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

Food customers may take a survey at bit.ly/FoodSafetyConsumerSurvey, and owners and employees of food establishments may take a survey at bit.ly/FoodSafetyIndustrySurvey.

Failed inspections

AFC Sushi Safeway, 1330 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, Routine April 29 (35 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Cold holding temperatures >45°F (imitation crab held at 53°); improper use of time as a control (sushi rice stored at room temperature had no times marked to serve or discard within four hours).

Basin City Elementary School, 303 Bailie Blvd., Mesa, Routine April 30 (65 Red, 5 Blue) Notes: Lack of adequate managerial control of food safety; hands not washed as required (student helpers were touching their faces, hair and clothes with food gloves); toxic substances not properly identified (dish soap from bulk container not labeled); improper use of timed temperature control (chicken, beans and cheese in hot holding case too warm and not marked to discard after four hours); blue violation of insects present (dead or trapped cockroach accumulation in food storage area).

Chicken & Bowl, 570 Swift Blvd., Richland, Routine April 30 (45 Red, 5 Blue) Notes: Improper temperature control (chicken thawing in sink with no time marked); toxic substances not properly used (use of bleach not approved for food contact surfaces); lack of conformance with approved procedures.

Dallas Gasoline, 5151 Trowbridge Blvd., Richland, Routine April 28 (40 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Hands not washed as required (hands must be washed before putting on gloves); food contact surfaces not cleaned and sanitized to prevent cross contamination (food preparation counter not wiped down before switch from working with raw chicken to preparing foods to be fried).

Los 3 Amigos, 8504 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Routine April 25 (35 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: Vegetables not properly washed (lettuce cut before washing); room temperature storage (cooked onion not kept hot enough).

S & S Petroleum, 5208 W. Clearwater Ave., Kennewick, Routine April 30 (40 Red, 5 Blue) Notes: Food worker cards not 100%; lack of conformance with approved procedures; inadequate handwashing facilities (one handwashing sink blocked with cleaning supplies); cold holding temperatures >45°F (defrosted deli sandwiches at 55°); adequate food thermometer not provided.

St. Joseph’s School, 516 S. Garfield St., Kennewick, Routine April 30 (50 Red, 0 Blue) Notes: No certified food protection manager on staff; potentially unsafe food (improperly stored shredded lettuce); cold holding temperatures >45°F (lettuce at 50°); improper use of time as a control (no time marked to limit lettuce and diced tomatoes on service line to four hours).

Passed inspections

AFC Sushi Safeway (Hazard analysis of critical control points), 1330 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, Routine April 29 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Albertsons, 1330 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, Routine April 29 (Meat 0 Red, 0 Blue) (Bakery 0 Red, 0 Blue) (Deli 0 Red, 0 Blue) (Produce 0 Red, 0 Blue)

Basin City Child Development Center, 281 First Ave., Mesa, Routine April 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Blackthorne Neighbourhood Pub, 201 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, Routine April 29 (15 Red, 0 Blue)

Delicias Raspados, 2019 W. Court St., Pasco, Routine April 28 (15 Red, 0 Blue)

Donitas Tacos Pasco, 316 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, Routine April 27 (10 Red, 0 Blue)

Fiiz, 3159 Duportail St., Richland, Routine April 28 (20 Red, 0 Blue)

Kamiakin High School, 600 N. Arthur St., Kennewick, Routine April 30 (10 Red, 0 Blue)

Kamiakin High School A La Carte, 600 N. Arthur St., Kennewick, Routine April 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Kennewick High School, 500 S. Dayton St., Kennewick, Routine April 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Kona Ice Of Pasco (Mobile), 608 Williams Blvd., Richland, Routine April 25 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Mesa Elementary School, 200 E. Pepiot Road, Mesa, Routine April 30 (25 Red, 5 Blue)

On The Hook Fish and Chips, 1415 George Washington Way, Richland, Routine April 28 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Paterson Store/Restaurant, 48905 Paterson Ave., Paterson, Routine April 28 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Pik-A-Pop, 1502 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, Routine April 30 (30 Red, 0 Blue)

Prosser High School Football Concession, 1530 Paterson Road, Prosser, Routine April 25 (30 Red, 0 Blue)

Santa Fe, 1014 S. Washington St., Kennewick, Routine April 29 (0 Red, 5 Blue)

Sports Page Bar & Grill, 6 S. Cascade St., Kennewick, Routine April 29 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Subway, 2045 W. Court St., Pasco, Routine April 28 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Sweet Snack Attack, 212 W. Kennewick Ave., Kennewick, Routine April 25 (30 Red, 0 Blue)

Tacos Mi Casita, 1208 N. 20th Ave., Pasco, Routine April 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Taqueria La Esperanza (Mobile), 1427 N. Fourth Ave., Pasco, Routine April 27 (10 Red, 0 Blue)

Tri-Tech Skills Center, 5929 W. Metaline Ave., Kennewick, Routine April 30 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Vega’s Mexican Grill & Market (Restaurant), 190504 Highway 221, Paterson, Routine April 28 (0 Red, 0 Blue)

Zip’s, 1123 Lee Blvd., Richland, Routine April 30 (25 Red, 0 Blue)

This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 3:17 PM.