Local health department closes Bob’s Java Jive for 24 hours in dispute over sink

Bob’s Java Jive, Tacoma’s beloved coffeepot-shaped bar , temporarily closed Tuesday following a visit from the local health department.

The Jive’s owner, Richard Walden, told The News Tribune that officials from the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department took issue with the fact that the place had fruit. Bob’s, 2102 South Tacoma Way, was told to get rid of its limes, tomatoes and onions, Walden said.

At the heart of the 24-hour closure is the establishment’s lack of an approved produce-preparation sink . Walden contends the joint already has a sink that qualifies.

“So, I feel like it’s discriminatory that they’re not letting us have fruit for drinks, like an orange for a margarita or a lime for a Corona,” he said.

The establishment closed Tuesday at 11:27 a.m. , according to the health department’s website. Officials cited “repeated critical violations” as the reason for closure.

Bob’s was expected to remain shuttered until Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Why did Bob’s close?

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department spokesperson Kenny Via said that every restaurant in the county has to work with health officials on a pre-approved plan to make sure it is safely serving food. The approved plan that Bob’s sent in 2022 just included “reheating commercially prepared foods to order with no prep.”

The health department notified Walden in April that the business would need to apply for a new plan in order to add produce and a prep sink, Via said. Officials informed Walden again on June 25 to cease serving produce until an updated plan had received the green light. Otherwise, the department would shut down Bob’s for 24 hours.

Health officials followed through with that warning after checking in with Bob’s on Tuesday morning.

“We are always happy to work with food establishment owners to approve new menu plans and ensure they are implementing changes safely,” Via said. “We look forward to working with Bob’s Java Jive on any changes the owner would like to implement in the future.”

Walden said he will meet with the health department on Wednesday and hopes to reopen in the morning. He added that Bob’s would operate without produce if necessary.

In addition to getting rid of its fruit, Bob’s will be charged $217 for a “pre-opening inspection,” per the health department’s website.

Walden estimates that Bob’s will lose between $1,400-$2,800 in sales on Tuesday.

Bob’s celebrates its 97th birthday this year. Operating in a nearly 100-year-old building comes with challenges.

Walden believes that the health department’s “cookie cutter requirements” are meant for franchises. He also said such mandates are gradually running family restaurants out of business.

“The future is very bleak at the direction that the health department is going. Someday all that there will be our McDonald’s and cheesecake factories,” he wrote via email. “They don’t have any special allowances to solve any of the problems that a pre-existing old building has.”

Because of the closure, six employees were unable to work Tuesday, Walden said. It also meant that some 25 local artists couldn’t play during open-mic night.

Bartender Shiloh Robison missed out on a double shift.

“My rent is $1,740 a month, among all of the other bills that I have to pay, and missing even one day of work can really impact my ability to pay my bills and essentially keep housing for myself,” Robison told The News Tribune.

Via said the health department never wants to close a food establishment, thereby affecting folks’ ability to earn money. But it is tasked with making sure that restaurants stick to a pre-approved plan to ensure that the food is safe.

In a post on Instagram, Bob’s Java Jive argued that the fruit it washes in its pre-existing produce sink “is not getting anybody sick.”