Rotten meat, mouse poop by food, cockroaches, kitchen filth at Wichita KS restaurants
Hundreds of pieces of mouse feces around food, rotting meats, cockroaches, ongoing issues at an Asian grocery store, overflowing trash containers, piles of garbage attracting pests, severely dented food cans for sale and filthy kitchen conditions are among violations Kansas Department of Agriculture inspectors discovered during recent food safety and lodging inspections in the Wichita area.
Each week, The Eagle adds to its searchable database of failed inspections from Sedgwick County. Thirteen restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant from Feb. 9-15.
Inspectors found few or no violations at more than 40 other businesses deemed compliant with food safety and lodging rules.
Inspections are meant to protect the public from foodborne illnesses and other health risks. But violations are common.
Businesses can fail an inspection if they have too many problems, certain types of violations or issues that can’t be fixed right away. Most of the time, they correct issues in front of an inspector. Examples of things that can be addressed immediately are serving food that’s more than a week old, employees mishandling ingredients and dirty kitchens.
But sometimes issues take longer to correct, like pest infestations, power outages and plumbing problems. It’s rare, but a business may temporarily shut down over violations.
Places that fail are usually reinspected within 10 days.
The list in this story was compiled on Feb. 20 using information available from the state on that date. The list only contains places in Sedgwick County. But you can search food and lodging inspection results elsewhere in Kansas at https://foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.
Out-of-compliance inspections
7 Brew Coffee, 110 N. Rock Road in Wichita — One violation on Feb. 10 during a routine inspection. Ice storage bins were leaking water on the floor “causing a slipping hazard for the employees.” Next inspection: Feb. 20.
Auto Motel, 1230 N. Broadway in Wichita — Five violations on Feb. 14 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include broken chairs and discarded mattresses on sidewalks in front of motel rooms, overflowing trash containers, mattresses stacked by trash containers, emergency template was not filled out, roach found in restroom sink in one room, dirty and stained bed linens in another room. Next inspection: Feb. 24.
Blue Fin Sake Bar & Sushi, 255 N. Washington in Wichita — Fourteen violations on Feb. 11 during a routine inspection. Violations included a dead insect in an open bottle of liquor, no test strips for sanitizer, no soap at hand-washing sink in sushi area, raw fish stored above container of cooked shrimp and crab in cooler, raw chicken stored above raw fish and raw beef, no hot water at hand-washing sinks, fried rice sitting out at room temperature, old cabbage and crab, large bowls did not fit in three-compartment sink, dirty and greasy bowls on clean dish shelf, dried beef blood on cutting board and knife used for ready-to-eat vegetables, no cold water at bathroom hand-washing sink, no paper towels at sushi hand-washing sink, sushi rice that was sitting out at room temperature was not labeled with the time it was removed from either heat or refrigeration. Next inspection: Feb. 21.
Dollar Tree, 2629 W. 53rd St. North in Wichita — Three violations on Feb. 10 during a routine inspection. Violations include packages of snacks and gum that had “chew marks and holes,” more than 200 old and fresh mouse droppings in the store including on shelves next to food in the snack and food aisles and in the back storage area, holes in storage room walls leading outside. The business closed over the violations. The next inspection will take place upon request after the store takes corrective action.
Family Dollar, 5120 E. 21st St. in Wichita — Three violations on Feb. 10 during a routine inspection. Violations include dead mouse in trap, fresh rodent droppings in store room along baseboard, store was selling cans of food “with severe denting and crimping along seams,” some cans of food for sale had no labels. Next inspection: Feb. 20.
Family Dollar, 355 W. 21st St. in Wichita — One violation on Feb. 15 during a follow-up inspection. Violation includes water not getting hot enough at bathroom sinks. Next inspection: Feb. 25.
Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, 407 E. Pawnee, Suite 101 in Wichita — Ten violations on Feb. 13 during a routine inspection. Violations included raw chicken stored above carrots in the walk-in cooler, raw meats including chicken and shrimp were stored together with blood on bags, rotting meats in refrigerator, cooked pasta wasn’t labeled with its preparation date, dirty dishes on clean shelf, dirty food containers, dirty sugar scoop, can of bamboo shoots wasn’t labeled with its package opening date, heavy grease and food debris around wok and fryers, “container of raw meats ... had an odor of spoilage,” garlic and oil left out at room temperature overnight, cooked chicken stored in sink “that is directly connected to the sewer.” Next inspection: Feb. 23.
Il Vicino Wood Oven Pizza, 2132 N. Rock Road in Wichita — Four violations on Feb. 14 during a routine inspection. Violations included dented cans of cherries and spicy tomatoes, several items in refrigeration including shrimp and Italian sausage weren’t kept cold enough, buttermilk and milk weren’t labeled with their package opening dates, leaky hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Feb. 24.
Jump Start, 1535 E. Pawnee in Wichita — Six violations on Feb. 10 during a routine inspection. Violations include ice bags stored on top of quarts of oil and car-cleaning chemicals, the store had two cashiers when the inspector was there but had no person in charge due to the manager being out sick, old cooked beef and black olives, no food thermometer, pan of cooked sausage wasn’t labeled with its package opening date, frozen cheese was thawing at room temperature. Next inspection: Feb. 20.
Lucky Market, 7100 E. Harry in Wichita — Five violations on Feb. 10 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include baguettes and steamed corn with no package labeling information, bins of bulk flour had no coverings to protect them from contamination, raw chicken feet were stored directly next to pork meat, rice desserts and rice mixture were not labeled with their preparation dates, no hot water at kitchen hand-washing sink. All of the violations were repeat violations, which means they previously noted by an inspector. Next inspection: April 10.
Main Street Coffee, 109 W. Main in Valley Center — Two violations on Feb. 13 during a routine inspection. Violations include single-use silverware stored with handles pointing down “allowing potential contamination,” no test strips for chlorine sanitizer. Next inspection: Feb. 23.
Papa John’s Pizza, 8918 W. 21st St., Suite 300 in Wichita — One violation on Feb. 13 during a modified complaint inspection. Living and dead cockroaches on a grease trap and plumbing and in standing water. Next inspection: Feb. 23.
Supermercado Del Pueblo, 2128 N. Broadway in Wichita — Eight violations on Feb. 11 during a modified complaint inspection. Violations include clutter and old food creating pest harborage conditions, large amount of old or rotting food needs to be thrown away including a large block of molded cream cheese and multiple sheets of old pastries, accumulation of mouse droppings behind and under equipment and in storage areas, tomatoes weren’t kept cold enough, multiple openings in walls in storage areas allow pests to enter the building, no test strips for measuring concentration of chlorine sanitizer in dishwashing sink, no hand soap at kitchen hand-washing sink due to clogged soap dispenser, raw eggs stored above ready-to-eat food including cooked tamales and produce, dozens of fresh mouse droppings in multiple areas including kitchen and storage areas, mouse droppings around food items and trash. Next inspection: Feb. 21.
Where to complain
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 was 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.
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.
The violation summaries were compiled and drafted with the help of AI tools. They were fact-checked for accuracy and edited by Wichita Eagle journalists.
