Whatcom County Health and Community Services inspects about 850 restaurants and other food-serving facilities each year.
Unwashed hands, unsafe food and missing labels.
These were some of the health code violations discovered by Whatcom County health inspectors at local eateries during the month of July.
Whatcom County Health and Community Services inspects about 850 restaurants and other food-serving facilities each year, holding every eatery to the same high standards.
While most eateries pass their inspections with few issues, a few have health code violations that require a follow-up, re-inspection or, occasionally, permit suspension.
In July, the county inspected a total of 42 permanent food establishments and mobile eateries.
Here’s what to know:
What do Whatcom County health inspectors look for?
Whatcom County Health and Community Services said it regularly inspects “restaurants, food trucks, coffee shops, bars, grocery stores and more to make sure that food is handled properly so it is safe to eat.”
The Washington State Retail Food Code outlines the rules for safely handling food that’s served to the public.
Examples of high-risk violations, which can contribute directly to foodborne illness, include:
Cooking meats to the incorrect temperature.Not keeping cold food cold enough.Food contamination.Handwashing.Serving food that is not from an approved source.Worker health and hygiene.
Low-risk violations related to maintenance and sanitation are “less likely to cause illness,” Whatcom County health officials said, but must also be corrected.
What happens after Whatcom County restaurants are inspected?
According to Whatcom County health officials, inspections of restaurants and other eateries fall into the following categories:
Approved: The eatery had zero or very few safety violations, and there is no need for follow-up.Follow-up required: The eatery had some violations but doesn’t need to be re-inspected. Any high-risk violations are corrected right away, and inspectors usually check in with the establishment again within 60 days.Re-inspection required: The eatery had many high risk or repeat violations. All high-risk violations are corrected immediately. Inspectors increase the frequency of their inspections, and the establishment is re-inspected again within 60 days.Permit suspension: The eatery was ordered to close immediately on a temporary basis because there was a severe health hazard such an illness outbreak, sewage backup or lack of water. When a permit is suspended, the person who operates the establishment must attend a hearing and correct all violations, and the establishment must be re-inspected before the permit is reinstated.
You can find the results of Whatcom County restaurant inspections online on the Food Safety Inspections page.
Search by the food establishment’s name, street name or city.
What happens if an eatery needs to be re-inspected?
If an establishment is in need a follow-up or re-inspection, Whatcom County Health and Community Services pays a courtesy visit to the owners, according to Tom Kunesh, Whatcom County food safety supervisor.
During this visit, health officials go through the health codes the eatery violated and explain the steps that can be taken to correct the situation.
“It’s a little bit of a complicated process that tries to focus more on education than enforcement,” Kunesh said. “If a restaurant operator has a series of problems, we’ll order immediate correction for everything that can be quickly corrected.”
Which restaurants passed health inspections in July?
Bellingham
Avenue Bread and Deli, downtown locationBay City Ice Cream Company food truckBin 13 Wine BarCafé AkroteriCicchitti’s Pizza food truckCoconut Grove Bar & GrillElizabeth StationFiamma BurgerFred Meyer, Lakeway deliKikka Sushi at Whole FoodsLittle CheerfulLos Patrones Market-RestaurantMercurys Coffee Co.Sawyer and Pals food truckSlicedWhole Food juice bar, deli, pizza and smoke room
Blaine
C ShopPalateria La Flor De MichoacanStation 49Tanker Dogs food truck
Everson
Everson Livestock AuctionPop Off! food truck
Ferndale
Grant’s Burgers food truckTacos Guadalajara
Lummi Island
Lynden
AFC Sushi at Safeway No. 1930Starbucks Coffee Co. at Safeway
Nooksack
Twin Sisters Mobile MarketWhich restaurants need to be re-inspected in Whatcom County?
A total of 10 food-serving facilities in Whatcom County will need to have follow-up inspections due to a high volume of health code violations, according to officials.
“Our goal is to complete follow-up inspections within 60 days after the routine (inspection),” Kunesh told The Bellingham Herald.
Here’s what health inspectors found:
Bry’s Filipino Cuisine, 1151 North State St. in Bellingham, had four health code violations on July 2.
One employee was not able to present an up-to-date food worker’s card at the time of the inspection.
Cabbage mix in the hot holding cabinet measured outside the temperature range considered safe. The person in charge said the cabbage had been heated two hours earlier, but “may not have been cooked thoroughly,” the July 2 report said.
Cooked spaghetti squash was removed from the oven at the beginning of the inspection and allowed to steam off at room temperature.
A food work began portioning the squash but switched tasks and starting doing dishes. Approximately 30 minutes later, the squash measured below the proper holding temperature for hot foods.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 18, the Filipino restaurant could not be reached for comment.
The restaurant had not been reinspected as of Wednesday, Aug. 19.
The Rivera Club at Stemma West, 500 Carolina St. in Bellingham, had four health code violations on July 9.
A certified food protection manager was not present at the time of inspection, and some food workers cards were not available for review.
A Whatcom County health inspector saw a worker putting mint on a drink with their bare hands.
The restaurant violated its plan of operation by storing unwashed produce including onions, citrus, tomatoes, cabbage and herbs in coolers. In addition, there was no produce washing sink in the container.
The plan requires all ingredients to be washed, prepared and portioned at the commissary before being transported to the container.
The Rivera Club could not be reached Tuesday for comment.
The restaurant had yet to be reinspected as of Wednesday.
Juanita’s Taco Truck, 223 Hertel Way in Nooksack, had three health code violations on July 10.
A handwashing sink was blocked with an empty half-pan with a lid, a repeat violation. A food worker relocated the dirty pan.
The Mexican food truck’s steam table for hot foods was not turned on. Instead, a table-top warmer placed in the steam table was being used to hold some foods.
Containers of refried beans, el pastor and carnitas that had been placed in the steam table an hour earlier measured too cool to be considered safe.
Two containers of lingua were being stored on a bottle shelf under the fryer.
Juanita’s Taco Truck manager Aaron Garcia told the Bellingham Herald that all violations have been corrected since the inspection.
As of Wednesday, the restaurant has not been reinspected.
Cuscatlan Restaurant, 410 West Bakerview Road, Suite No. 108, in Bellingham, had three health code violations on July 13.
Ready-to-eat milk and prepared tamales that require temperature control did not have date labels on them.
Pinto beans and chicken stored on the Salvadoran restaurant’s steam table measured below the standard holding temperature for hot foods.
Queso and crema were being stored in a leaking cooler.
According to restaurant employee Mauricio Ayala, all violations have been corrected since the inspection.
As of Wednesday, the restaurant had not been reinspected.
Lions Camp Horizon, 7506 Gemini St. in Blaine, had four health code violations on July 14.
A Whatcom County health inspector watched an employee wash their hands for less than five seconds before drying them.
The water in the handwashing sink was “scalding hot” and no cold water was available due to an issue with the faucet, the July 14 report said.
A carton of raw in-shell eggs was stored directly on top of packages of ready-to-eat deli meats.
Raw eggs and raw animal foods must always be stored below any ready-to-eat foods.
Ground beef and cooked eggs were cooling in foil-covered pans in the standing cooler. The eggs, which had been removed from a hot holding area two hours before the inspection, measured outside the temperature range considered safe.
To correct this, the eggs were split up into two shallow pans and placed, uncovered, in the cooler to finish cooling.
As of Tuesday, Camp Horizon could not be reached for comment.
The summer camp had not been reinspected as of Wednesday.
The deli at Safeway, 8071 Guide Meridian, Suite 101, in Lynden, had one health code violation on July 17.
Mashed potatoes stored in the grocery store deli’s hot holding case measured too cold to be safe both before and after mixing. No Time labels were not being used for items in the case.
The Safeway deli could not be reached for comment as of Tuesday.
The deli counter has not been reinspected as of Aug. 19.
The Oriental food counter at Safeway, 8071 Guide Meridian, Suite No. 101, in Lynden had one health code violation on July 17.
Ready-to-eat orange chicken stored in a hot case measured below the temperature considered safe for hot foods in one portion.
No time-as-control plan was being used “despite previous health department enforcement requiring its use,” the July 17 report said, noting that the case has a “history of inadequate hot holding, documented in multiple previous inspections.”
The Safeway counter could not be reached Tuesday for comment.
The Oriental food counter has not been reinspected as of Aug. 19
Kebabji, 1 Bellis Fair Parkway, Suite No. 512, in Bellingham, had four health code violations on July 21.
Food worker cards and a certified food manager certificate could not be provided during the July 21 inspection.
Rice pudding in the consumer dessert case had been made in a home kitchen and was “removed from sale,” the July 21 report said. The person in charge agreed to stop selling unapproved foods.
The employee who made the rice pudding at home was fired, according to restaurant manager Muhsin Korkuleu.
Containers of ready-to-eat foods including hummus, baba ganoush and sliced tomatoes, which require temperature controls, didn’t have date marks at the time of inspection. The person in charge told inspectors that these foods last more than 24 hours.
As of Tuesday, all violations had been corrected, and the kebab restaurant was awaiting re-inspection, Korkuleu told The Herald.
Grouchy’s Diner, 2400 Meridian, Suite No. 1, in Bellingham, had five health food violations on July 27.
A certified food protection manager was not present at the time of inspection.
A Whatcom County health inspector saw a food worker at the restaurant, previously known as Diamond Jim’s Deli, crack three raw eggs, remove their gloves and put on new ones without washing their hands in between.
The worker then resumed preparing ready-to-eat foods.
Raw eggs in a prep top unit measured too warm to be considered safe. This was a repeat violation.
Logs governing procedures for cleaning and sanitizing the meat grinder;cold-holding vacuum-packed meats and cooking and cooling vacuum-packed meats and polenta were not available for regulatory review.
“Packages of thawed vacuum-packed fish stored in coolers were not lanced or cut open as required to reduce the risk of botulism,” the July 27 report said.
Hot sauce prepared on site and advertised for retail sale did not use ingredient labels.
The restaurant could not be reached Tuesday for comment.
The breakfast eatry has not been reinspected as of Aug. 19.
Hissho Sushi at Market at Birch Bay had four health code violations on July 28.
A food worker left the food preparation area after handling soiled cloths.
The worker returned, changed gloves and “resumed ready-to-eat food preparation without first washing their hands,” the July 28 report said.
The handwashing sink at the sushi counter did not have hot water, and the flow was “inadequate.”
A tray of cooling sushi rice measured too warm to be considered safe. It was also in too large of a container for the cool-down process.
Commercially-sourced vacuum packed fish was not being thawed properly.
Hissho Sushi could not be reached for comment as of Tuesday.
The restaurant has not been reinspected as of Aug. 19.
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This story was originally published August 21, 2026 at 5:25 AM.
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Julia Hawkins
The Bellingham Herald
Julia Hawkins joined The Herald as a service journalism and general assignment reporter in December 2025. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at Western Washington University in Bellingham.
Dining and Cooking