Cockroaches, mouse poop on food & plates, old food, filth at Wichita KS restaurants
Cockroaches, a mouse infestation bad enough that a restaurant temporarily closed, rodent feces and urine, old lobster gnocchi and other ingredients, employees who didn’t wash their hands, kitchen filth and other issues 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. Fifteen restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state rules from Feb. 23 to March 1.
Inspectors found few or no violations at more than 50 other businesses deemed compliant with food safety and lodging rules.
Inspections are meant to protect the public from foodborne illnesses and other health risks. 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.
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 March 5 using information available from the state on that date. The list only contains places in Sedgwick County. 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
Blue Fin Sake Bar & Sushi, 255 N. Washington in Wichita — Five violations on Feb. 25 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include raw chicken thawing in standing water, ground tuna thawing in intact vacuum packaging which can increase the risk of harmful bacteria growth, an open quart of half-and-half not dated with its package opening date, large bowls were too big for the sink where sanitizing takes place, cooked shrimp held at room temperature was not labeled with the time it was left out. Next inspection: April 25.
Chiang Mai Thai Restaurant, 3141 S. Hillside in Wichita — Nineteen violations on Feb. 26 during a complaint inspection and five violations on Feb. 28 during a reopening inspection. Violations found during the Feb. 26 inspection include an employee washing hands without soap, raw eggs stored above bean sprouts, boxes blocking a hand-washing sink, back exterior door that opens to the alley had a half-inch gap along the bottom where pests can get inside the building, dried rodent droppings throughout the restaurant, rodent droppings among items in utensil storage bin, clean plates and cups were covered with mouse feces, excessive buildup of grime and grease, employee didn’t wash hands after touching her face, “grease, dust, and other debris” covering equipment including coolers and food preparation tables, employee washed her hands at a sink dedicated for another use, rodent droppings inside sugar container, no sanitizer test strips for the dish machine, employee used a soiled towel for drying hands, employees were handling ready-to-eat food with bare hands, several food packages had mouse feces on them, hand-washing sink was being used to store a water pitcher and a paper bag, live cockroach on a sticky trap, excessive fresh rodent droppings throughout restaurant including on counters and food packages, dirty equipment that wasn’t being used in corner, garbage piled up outside of building. The restaurant closed voluntarily over the mouse infestation. Violations found during the Feb. 28 reopening inspection include a back exterior door with a half-inch crack that can allow pests inside the building, dried rodent droppings observed throughout the restaurant, buildup of grease and grime throughout restaurant, fresh rodent droppings in the side storage area, puddle of greasy water pooling outside the back door. Next inspection: March 8.
Deano’s Grill & Tapworks, 9747 E. 21st St., Suite 101 in Wichita — Five violations on Feb. 27 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include employees using a plastic cup as an ice scoop instead of a utensil with a handle, no paper towels at a hand-washing sink, ice had been dumped in a sink that was supposed to be used for hand-washing only, garlic oil wasn’t kept cold enough, food scoop in clean storage was still dirty, a metal container had sticker debris on it which can contaminate other clean dishes. Next inspection: March 13.
Family Dollar, 355 W. 21st St. in Wichita — One violation on Feb. 25 during a follow-up inspection. The water at hand-washing sinks in restrooms didn’t get hot enough. Next inspection: April 25.
Georges French Bistro, 4618 E. Central, Suite 50 in Wichita — Eight violations on Feb. 26 during a routine inspection. Violations include several foods in the kitchen line coolers that were too old to serve to customers including shallots and potatoes, several foods in the walk-in cooler were too old to serve to customers including lobster gnocchi and tomato bisque, a raw egg was stored above beverage glasses and drink garnishes, an employee touched crepes with her bare hands, the restaurant had no bodily fluid clean-up plan, no soap or paper towels at kitchen hand-washing sink, the restaurant was not recording sales dates on shellfish shell stock tags which help officials trace the source of foodborne illnesses, the restaurant had no verifiable employee illness policy on site. Next inspection: March 8.
Jacky Chan Sushi, 7820 E. Harry in Wichita — Three violations on Feb. 26 during a modified complaint inspection. Violations include not keeping track of the time sushi rice was removed from heat or refrigeration, rice wasn’t kept cold enough, the restaurant had no written procedure for handling and holding sushi rice at room temperature. Next inspection: March 8.
Kentucky Fried Chicken, 611 E. 47th St. South in Wichita — Three violations on Feb. 28 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include water at a hand-washing sink that didn’t get hot enough, slow drainage at a kitchen hand-washing sink caused flooding on the floor, kitchen hand-washing sink was overflowing. Next inspection: April 28.
La Chona con Huevos, 3415 E. Harry in Wichita — Five violations on Feb. 26 during its first operational inspection after licensing. Violations include cooked beef and al pastor that were not labeled with their preparation dates, cheese sauce was not heated properly, raw beef stored above ready-to-eat vegetables and pork, old food, green onions were stored in a bag that isn’t food grade. Next inspection: March 8.
N&J Cafe & Bakery, 5600 E. Lincoln in Wichita — Three violations on Feb. 25 during a routine inspection. Violations include diced tomatoes and garlic paste that weren’t kept cold enough, veggie soup had to be thrown away because it wasn’t cooled properly, business was not keeping the required records related to yogurt fermentation, dirty food thermometer. Next inspection: March 7.
Park Hill Elementary School, 1500 E. Woodbrook in Derby — One violation on Feb. 27 during a routine inspection. Approximately 30 fresh rodent droppings under shelves and along walls in the dry storage room. Next inspection: March 10.
Quality Inn, 4849 S. Laura in Wichita — Eight violations on Feb. 25 during a complaint inspection. Violations include not keeping records showing carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors had been tested every six months, fire extinguishers had no recent inspections, non-functional emergency lights, non-working smoke detectors, no carbon monoxide detector in a closet containing a gas-supplied furnace, standard outlets near sink and water hook-ups in laundry room instead of ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets, broken latch locks in guest rooms. Next inspection: March 7.
Starbucks, 8008 E. Central in Wichita — Five violations on Feb. 27 during a routine inspection. Violations include no food probe thermometers, dirty blender and food containers in clean storage, bottle of multi-surface cleaner was stored with its nozzle facing cups and lids, no trash can in bathroom, rusted soap dispenser. Next inspection: March 13.
Stone Creek Elementary School, 3012 N. Triple Creek Drive in Derby — One violation on Feb. 25 during a routine inspection. Water at the hand-washing sinks by the dish machine and food line did not get hot enough. Next inspection: March 7.
Supermercado Del Pueblo, 2128 N. Broadway in Wichita — Four violations on Feb. 24 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include multiple small openings in the interior wall that allows pests to enter building, pest feces and urine behind ice machine, a dead mouse observed on the floor under a rack of flour and icing in the bakery area, fresh mouse droppings in several areas including the bakery and storage area behind flour bags and “large amounts” of feces under equipment, fresh rodent droppings under peanut display, food debris behind equipment in storage and bakery area. Next inspection: April 24.
Taco Shop, 427 N. Hillside in Wichita — One violation on Feb. 27 during a follow-up inspection. Water did not get hot enough at the hand-washing sinks at the drive-thru window and in the men’s bathroom. Next inspection: March 9.
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.
