Cooks didn’t wash before prepping food, plus mouse feces, grime at Wichita KS restaurants
Employees who ignored hand-washing requirements, mouse feces, water problems that led to a shutdown, mishandled food, missing carbon monoxide detectors, broken equipment, electrical hazards 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. Seven restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state rules from March 2-8.
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. 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 12 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
Astoria Indian Grill, 3242 N. Rock Road, Suite 118 in Wichita — Ten violations on March 8 during a routine inspection. Violations include employees rinsing hands in a sink that didn’t have warm water, dishes weren’t properly sanitized, water wasn’t hot enough at a kitchen hand-washing sink, no test strips for sanitizer, employee didn’t use soap to wash hands, several foods in the walk-in cooler including chicken and rice weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, no hot water in the restaurant, improper hand drying practices, employee touched a personal cellphone but didn’t wash hands before handling food, no cleanup plan for vomiting or diarrhea incidents. The restaurant voluntarily closed while waiting for the hot water to be repaired. Next inspection: March 18.
Comfort Suites, 7515 W. Taft in Wichita — Nine violations on March 5 during a complaint inspection. Violations include no towels in the fitness room, no pet-friendly sign posted, no carbon monoxide detector in an electrical room with a gas-supplied furnace, no records showing carbon monoxide detectors are checked every six months, dirty guest rooms, clothes behind and under sofas in rooms, chemicals weren’t stored properly, standard electrical outlets installed near water sources instead of ground fault circuit interrupter outlets, emergency lighting didn’t work outside meeting rooms and around pool, missing light bulbs for lamps. Next inspection: March 15.
El Agave Mexican Restaurant, 3236 N. Rock Road in Wichita — Six violations on March 6 during a modified complaint inspection. Violations include a cook who didn’t change gloves or wash hands between touching raw chicken and a taco about to be served to a customer, no manager on site during the inspection, an untrained employee was working the grill and mishandling food, a cook touched raw shrimp then touched a bottle of salad dressing without washing hands or changing gloves, wiping cloths used to clean surfaces that touch raw meat weren’t kept separate from other wiping cloths, a personal cellphone was touching surfaces that come into contact with food, queso and refried beans weren’t kept hot enough in steam tables. Next inspection: May 6.
Hibachi Boy, 3010 E. Central in Wichita — Eleven violations on March 4 during a routine inspection. Violations include old rice noodles and tofu, dead batteries in food thermometers, dirty food thermometer, no verifiable employee illness policy in place, dirty pans in clean storage, one-inch gap at bottom of rear external door allowed pests to enter the building, mouse droppings by portion cups and along baseboards, the restaurant had no bodily fluid cleanup plan in place, “old food debris” under equipment and along walls that can attract pests, employees didn’t wash hands after touching cellphone and dirty dishes, dozens of fresh mouse droppings throughout restaurant, accumulation of food around kitchen equipment and in storage areas. Next inspection: March 14.
Los Aztecas Mexican Grill, 1540 E. 61st St. North in Wichita — One violation on March 3 during a follow-up inspection. The kitchen sink hadn’t been fixed after a prior violation and still sprayed water onto the floor. Next inspection: March 13.
Pho Cuong, 6605 E. 37th St. North, Suite 100 in Wichita — Three violations on March 8 during a routine inspection. Violations include meats and rice stored in containers that weren’t food grade, several foods including chicken and shrimp weren’t cold enough in refrigeration, egg rolls and other foods weren’t labeled with the time they were supposed to be thrown away. Next inspection: March 18.
Pizza Hut, 8821 W. 21st St. in Wichita — Four violations on March 7 during a complaint inspection. Violations include several foods including ham and black olives weren’t labeled with their package opening or preparation dates, no cleanup plan for vomiting or diarrhea incidents, dirty utensils and containers in clean storage, no food probe thermometer. Next inspection: March 17.
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.
