Roaches, rotten milk, dead fly with fish, refused entry & more at Wichita restaurants
Fourteen restaurants and other businesses that serve or sell food to the public in Wichita and surrounding towns were out of compliance during food safety and lodging inspections conducted Oct. 13-19 by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
The businesses were cited for a number of violations, including rotten and contaminated foods; old foods; cockroach infestations; a dead fly floating in a cooler of raw fish; a business owner who told an inspector to leave when they pointed out violations; shops that didn’t use sanitizer and employees who didn’t wash their hands before touching food; flies landing on food; dirty equipment; missing information and more, according to inspection reports.
Information about the food establishments, as well as a summary of their violations, appears below. The businesses listed are all located in Sedgwick County. The list was compiled Oct. 23 using information available in the KDA’s statewide inspections database on that date.
Another 69 establishments passed their inspections during the same period. A list of those also appears below. Some may have been non-compliant in previous weeks.
Business owners and managers can contact Eagle reporter Amy Renee Leiker at 316-268-6644 or aleiker@wichitaeagle.com to comment on inspection results that appear in this story. Comments will be added to the online version of this article.
More details about inspections are in The Eagle’s searchable database of non-compliant restaurant and hotel inspections at www.kansas.com/databases.
Out-of-compliance inspections
American Legion Post #273, 1335 N. Hydraulic in Wichita — Six violations on Oct. 17 during a routine inspection. Violations included no food probe thermometer, raw ground beef was stored in contact with fully cooked smoked sausage, spoiled milk, whole milk wasn’t labeled with the date it was opened, chlorine sanitizer for manual three-compartment where washing sink was not set up, a pan of raw chicken was thawing in sink with a direct connection to the sewage system. Next inspection: Oct. 27.
Casey’s General Store, 222 S. Meridian in Valley Center — One violation on Oct. 16 during a routine inspection. The vent cap for the carbonator was missing and a clear liquid was leaking from where it belongs. Next inspection: Oct. 26.
Countryboy Taste (mobile vendor/food truck), 1932 S. Estelle in Wichita — Nine violations on Oct. 17 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include no water under pressure because the generator was out and needed gas, the owner refused to give an inspector access to the unit during the inspection, dead fly floating in cooler of raw fish, hand-washing sink was blocked by cheese and battery charging station, the owner didn’t stop operating and notify the Kansas Department of Agriculture that it had no water under pressure or hot water which is an imminent health hazard, the owner refused to close the business voluntarily when asked by an inspector and continued serving food, the owner told an inspector to leave, no hot water, a window used for order taking didn’t have a screen to keep flies out, a bottle of an unknown chemical was sitting directly on top of a bag of mozzarella cheese. The business was ordered to temporarily close over the violations. Next inspection: Dec. 17.
The Easy Egg Breakfast & Lunch, 5700 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Two violations on Oct. 15 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include dead and living cockroaches in various locations in the restaurant including by an ice machine and bag-in-box soda. Next inspection: Nov. 30.
The Hive Bar & Grill, 231 E. Main in Valley Center — Three violations on Oct. 14 during a complaint inspection. Violations include a container of green beans and corn that wasn’t labeled with its preparation date, no sanitizer in dish machine, no food probe thermometer available. The restaurant passed a follow-up inspection the next day.
Kwik Shop, 110 E. Fifth St. in Valley Center — Two violations on Oct. 15 during a routine inspection. Violations include chicken breast and meatballs that weren’t labeled with their preparation dates in the Sbarro kitchen, flies landing on surfaces including in self-serve food areas of the store. Next inspection: Oct. 25.
Little Caesars Pizza, 1353 S. Webb, Suite 109 in Wichita — Thirteen violations on Oct. 15 during a routine inspection. Violations include an employee not washing hands before making pizza, fly landed on raw pizza dough, no written and approved procedure for storing pizza dough at room temperature, flies in building, fly landed on dough maker, build-up of oil and old food under preparation table and near pizza oven, bucket of sanitizer was stored next to pizza oil, no written plan for vomiting or diarrhea incidents, no sanitizer in bucket of wiping cloths, employee handled food without washing hands after touching a personal drink, container of mushrooms wasn’t labeled with its package opening date, bucket of sanitizer wasn’t labeled with its contents, employee touched his hat then touched pepperoni without washing his hands. Next inspection: Oct. 25.
The Mango Tree, 111 E. 47th St. South in Wichita — Five violations on Oct. 15 during a complaint inspection. Violations include dirty knife, cockroaches and fruit flies by dish area and in food storage areas, no written plan for vomiting or diarrhea incidents, open cartons of milk and whipped topping weren’t labeled with their package opening dates, back door was propped open. Next inspection: Oct. 25.
McDonald’s, 1219 S. Rock Road in Wichita — Six violations on Oct. 17 during a routine inspection. Violations include French fries that weren’t kept hot enough, living house fly on cheese slices, American cheese slices were used beyond the allowed time, raw bacon and hamburger patties weren’t kept cold enough, flies and “small flying insects” in kitchen and lobby, raw eggs were stored by cheese slices and burritos. Next inspection: Oct. 27.
Thai An Oriental Market, 2425 S. Hillside, Suite 500 in Wichita — Thirteen violations on Oct. 17 during a routine inspection. Violations include fish that wasn’t stored properly, rice patties and jellyfish were missing information on their labels, food probe thermometer didn’t work, business wasn’t sanitizing utensils properly, shellstock tags for frozen oysters didn’t include the last sale date, frozen scallops weren’t labeled for retail sale, several foods including meatloaf and dumplings were sitting at room temperature, rice patties and rice dishes weren’t labeled with allergen information, shellstock tags for frozen whole oysters weren’t kept in chronological order, self-serve fried dough and fried bananas weren’t protected from contamination, raw fish on ice isn’t protected from contamination, customer was bagging self-serve raw fish without help from a store employee, dented cans and cracked containers of pork paste, raw chicken feet were stored above ready-to-eat cooked pork blood. Next inspection: Oct. 27.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, 9746 E. 21st St., Suite 105 in Wichita — Two violations on Oct. 15 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include buildup of trash and food debris under equipment in the kitchen, smoothie-making pitchers were soiled with food and black residue. Next inspection: Dec. 15.
Wendy’s, 1705 W. 21st St. in Wichita — Two violations on Oct. 17 during a routine inspection. Violations include flies landing on food trays and sheet pans, flies in various areas of the facility including in the kitchen and by front counter. Next inspection: Oct. 27.
Whole Foods Market, 1423 N. Webb in Wichita — Five violations on Oct. 16 during a routine inspection. Violations include dead flies on a sticky trap, living houseflies in the cheese preparation area, dented can of olives, items on the olive bar including mushrooms and beans weren’t labeled with the correct disposal date, old pizza ingredients and old items on the olive bar. Next inspection: Oct. 26.
Yokohama Ramen Izakaya, 6434 E. Central in Wichita — Nine violations on Oct. 17 during a routine inspection. Violations include cooked chicken breasts that weren’t kept hot enough, several foods including pork and rice weren’t labeled with the time they were removed from refrigeration, spray bottle of sanitizer wasn’t labeled, cooked chicken didn’t cool down quickly enough because its container was too full, bean sprouts and chicken were labeled with the wrong dates, living and dead flying insects on the sake machine, chipped and cracked rubber spatulas, several foods including seafood and chicken weren’t kept cold enough, disinfectant spray and a can of pesticide were stored next to cocoa and salt. Next inspection: Oct. 27.
The violation summaries above were compiled and drafted with the help of AI tools. They were fact-checked for accuracy and edited by Wichita Eagle journalists.
These businesses passed inspections
- AFC Sushi at Dillons, 640 N. West St. in Wichita
- American Legion Post #4, 816 N. Water in Wichita
- Bann Thai Cafe, 5255 N. Maize Road, Suite 104 in Maize
- Bentley Primary School, 212 N. Phelps in Bentley
- Birrieria Raymundo, 124 E. 21st St. in Wichita
- Black Sheep Kettle Corn (mobile vendor/food truck), 8202 S. Hancock Drive in Derby
- Bostic Traditional Magnet Elementary School, 8103 E. Gilbert in Wichita
- Broadway Smoke & Convenience Store, 949 S. Broadway, Suite B in Wichita
- Cafe Mexico of KS, 1860 S. Hillside in Wichita
- Charley’s Philly Steaks at Towne East Square, 7700 E. Kellogg Drive, Suite VC06 in Wichita
- Chick-fil-A, 7990 E. Central in Wichita
- CJ’s Last Stop, 1548 S. Ida in Wichita
- Cloud Elementary School, 1212 W. 25th St. North in Wichita
- Crested Crane Cafe (mobile vendor/food truck), 10115 E. Mt. Vernon in Wichita
- Crumbl Cookies, 1918 N. Rock Road, Suite 700 in Derby
- Curtis Middle School, 1031 S. Edgemoor in Wichita
- Dairy Queen Grill & Chill, 314 N. Baltimore in Derby
- Denny’s, 4024 E. Harry in Wichita
- Derby High School, 920 N. Rock Road in Derby
- Dillons Marketplace, 7707 E. Central in Wichita
- Dollar General, 1625 S. Rock Road, Suite 117 in Wichita
- Eagles Lodge #3251, 1855 S. Sedgwick in Wichita
- The Eatery, 3928 E. 13th St. in Wichita
- Felipe’s Jr. Mexican Restaurant, 9718 E. Harry in Wichita
- Feng Cha Boba Tea, 2564 N. Greenwich, Suite 300 in Wichita
- Franklin Elementary School, 214 S. Elizabeth in Wichita
- GH Grubz, 926 W. Harry in Wichita
- Griffith Elementary School, 1802 S. Bluff in Wichita
- The Hive Bar and Grill, 231 E. Main in Valley Center
- Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood & Bar, 353 S. Rock Road in Wichita
- Ice Cream Torres (mobile vendor/food truck), 1307 E. Del Mar in Wichita
- Jefferson Elementary School, 4615 E. Orme in Wichita
- Jimmy’s Egg, 12938 E. 21st St., Suite 140 in Wichita
- Kelly’s Family Diner, 2131 S. Broadway in Wichita
- Little Caesars Pizza, 2046 W. 21st St. in Wichita
- Little Caesars Pizza, 601 N. West St., Suite 208 in Wichita
- McDonald’s, 1811 N. Hillside in Wichita
- McDonald’s, 411 S. Broadway in Wichita
- McDonald’s, 10321 W. 21st St. in Wichita
- Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom, 300 N. Mead in Wichita
- Old Mill Tasty Shop, 604 E. Douglas in Wichita
- Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, 323 N. Rock Road in Wichita
- Parkhill Elementary School, 1500 E. Woodbrook in Derby
- Premier Food Service at Credit Union of America, 8200 E. 32nd St. North in Wichita
- Premier Food Service at GraceMed Health Clinic, 830 S. Woodlawn in Wichita
- Premier Food Service at Health Facilities Group, 142 N. Mosley in Wichita
- Premier Food Service at ICT Billet, 1107 S. West St. in Wichita
- Premier Food Service at Wichita Public Library Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. Second St. in Wichita
- Premier Food Service at Millennium Concepts, 7227 W. Harry in Wichita
- Premier Food Service, 8225 W. Irving in Wichita
- Pizza Hut, 344 S. Meridian in Valley Center
- Pizza Hut, 333 E. 47th St. South in Wichita
- Pray-Woodman Elementary School, 605 W. Academy in Maize
- Price-Harris Communications Magnet Elementary School, 706 N. Armour in Wichita
- Ray’s Mobile (mobile vendor/food truck), 6115 N. Air Cap Drive in Park City
- The Red Brick Room, 4311 W. Central in Wichita
- Slim Chickens, 2313 N. Greenwich in Wichita
- Spangles, 415 S. West St. in Wichita
- Sticky Bird, 616 S. Tyler Road in Wichita
- Supplement World, 6370 E. Central in Wichita
- Swaney Elementary School, 501 English in Derby
- Taco Fajita Restaurant, 1006 S. Meridian in Wichita
- Tropics Bar, 2705 N. Broadway in Wichita
- TupTim Thai Express, 1317 N. Maize Road, Suite 107 in Wichita
- Tuta’s Teriyaki, 1212 S. Tyler Road, Suite 100 in Wichita
- Village Inn, 7020 W. Central in Wichita
- When Pigs Fly BBQ & Catering, 7011 W. Central, Suite 116 in Wichita
Note: Sometimes addresses listed — especially for mobile vendors and food trucks — are not where food is actually served to the public. Contact those establishments directly for specific service locations.
How do businesses fail inspections?
Businesses fall out of compliance when they have too many violations, issues that can cause a foodborne illness, when a problem can’t be fixed right away, such as bug and rodent infestations, and more. But most violations are minor and are corrected during an inspection.
Typically, establishments are reinspected within 10 days to ensure they are following the rules.
It’s rare for a business to shut down over a failed inspection. But it can happen. Usually closures are temporary, voluntary and the result of major problems, such as sewage backups, pest infestations, and water or power outages.
The lists in this story include only businesses from Sedgwick County. But you can search food and lodging inspection results anywhere in Kansas at https://foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.
Complaint? Here’s how to submit it
If you see problems at a food or lodging establishment, you can file a complaint.
To notify the state about unsavory or questionable conditions anywhere that serves or sells food to the public, email kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767. You can also file a complaint at www.foodsafetykansas.org.
To report an illness you think was caused by a restaurant, food or event where food is served, contact the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at 877-427-7317 or www.foodsafetykansas.org.
Complaints about conditions at hotels and motels can be submitted at www.agriculture.ks.gov/public-resources/comments-complaints/lodging-complaint.
For more information about foodborne illnesses, visit www.foodsafety.gov.
This story was originally published October 26, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
