Tacoma pizzeria caught with ‘rodent infestation’ OK to reopen, per health department
The Rock Wood Fired Pizza in Tacoma got the OK to reopen Wednesday morning after a week-long hiatus due to a “rodent infestation” discovered during a routine health inspection.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department approved the restaurant at 1920 Jefferson Ave. to reopen around 10 a.m. on Nov. 20. The public email alert went out an hour later.
According to the health inspection posted online, the pizzeria “removed all food debris and grease build-up” and “cleaned all areas where evidence of pests were found.” By request, the business also hired a certified pest-control company to perform a “mass catching/treatment.”
Phone calls to the restaurant late Wednesday morning went unanswered. The News Tribune also called The Rock’s Auburn-based headquarters; the operator transferred the reporter to CEO John Allegretto but it went to voicemail.
Health department spokesperson Kenny Via said the restaurant met the requirements to reopen, pointing to details in the official report.
As part of the approval, which incurred a $217 fee, the business must “continue professional pest control services at a frequency to limit pest entry and presence.” Staff must also keep a printed log of such visits so an inspector can easily view them in the future.
Inspector Sarah Foster spent 25 minutes with Don Bellis, co-founder and current co-owner of The Wedge Corporation, on Wednesday. He and Allegretto operate a handful of other locations in Western Washington and one in Colorado, according to the website.
The Rock was closed on Nov. 13 after Foster showed up for an unannounced inspection. Her 90-minute visit revealed “rodent droppings throughout the kitchen and below equipment,” bags of flour likely chewed by mice with visible feces, and “black flies” on sticky traps.
The issue was not limited to dark corners, The News Tribune previously reported.
The inspector found “rodent droppings throughout the kitchen and below equipment” and atop “food-contact surfaces” like pizza paddles and service trays. That report also called out chew marks and evidence of rodents “built up on brick walls, alcoves and below sinks.”
Neither was it the first time a potential pest problem was cited.
An April 2023 inspection noted consumer-grade insecticide near a prep sink, which is not food-safe, according to the report. In January, an inspector noted rodent feces in a corner. TPCHD had visited The Rock in Tacoma nine times from April 2023 to November 2024, including two follow-up inspections required after repeated high-risk violations and an educational visit with staff and supervisors.
This story was originally published November 20, 2024 at 12:50 PM.