Hundreds of cockroaches, cigarette in kitchen, hair in food at Wichita KS restaurants
Hundreds of living and dead cockroaches, mice, filthy kitchens, spoiled milk in a bloated carton, bugs in and around cooking equipment, trash, hazardous conditions, mold, contamination risks, employees smoking around food 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. Thirteen restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state rules March 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.
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.
Violations are common. Places that fail are usually reinspected within 10 days.
The list in this story was compiled on March 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
Club Demonstration Services at Costco Wholesale, 9700 E. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Three violations on March 10 during a routine inspection. Violations include an employee scratching his face with gloved hands then handling food, employee using a sanitizer towel then touching food containers without washing hands, carts used for food dispensing don’t have a nearby hand-washing sink. Next inspection: March 20.
Gangnam Korean Grill & Bar, 210 N. Washington in Wichita — Seven violations on March 10 during a routine inspection. Violations include insects found in a bottle of liquor, shrimp tempura left out at room temperature for too long and then put back in a cooler, cooked chicken was not held at required temperature, pans with tape and tape residue were stored as clean, cut cabbage was not labeled with its preparation date, chemicals stored next to ice scoops and with nozzles pointing at preparation sink, no hot water at men’s bathroom sink. Next inspection: March 20.
Kababji Grill, 6257 E. 21st St. in Wichita — Six violations on March 10 during a routine inspection. Violations include raw beef stored above and in direct contact with cooked gyro meat, unidentified pink liquid in a spray bottle, expired milk in “visibly bloated” carton, cooked beef and chicken were not labeled with their preparation dates, food probe thermometer didn’t work, cooked rice was held at an unsafe temperature. Next inspection: March 20.
Kung Fu Tea, 1625 S. Rock Road, Suite 129 in Wichita — Ten violations on March 10 during a routine inspection. Violations include no written plan for cleaning up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, employee washing hands without soap, boxes and other items blocking hand-washing sink, brewed tea was at risk of contamination from sink splash, jelly boba stored on the floor, unlabeled spray bottle of sanitizer, cooked boba not marked with time it was removed from refrigeration or heat, gummy candy packages were not labeled for retail sale, no quaternary sanitizer test strips on site, employee washed hands at the wrong sink. Next inspection: March 20.
Margarita’s Cantina, 3109 E. Douglas in Wichita — Eight violations on March 14 during a complaint inspection. Violations include tomatoes that were not kept cold enough, dead bug in tequila bottle, sanitizer sink wasn’t set up properly, no soap at kitchen hand-washing sink, bottles of degreaser weren’t labeled with their contents, visible mold and musty smell in basement storage area from leaks and water damage, floor was sinking and sticky in basement which is a safety hazard ”due to instability and mold growth,” knives stored in an unsanitary place, paper towel dispenser didn’t work. Next inspection: March 28.
Mark 8 Inn, 1130 N. Broadway in Wichita — Five violations on March 10 during an inspection that was a follow-up to an administrative order. Violations include foul odor in buildings, dirty flooring in hallways, dim lighting in hallways, exit signs in building didn’t work, refrigerator with food debris build-up. Next inspection: May 10.
N&J Cafe & Bakery, 5600 E. Lincoln in Wichita — One violation on March 12 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include the restaurant not testing the pH of fermented milk that is used for yogurt as required. Next inspection: March 22.
Pho Kim, 1675 S. Rock Road, Suite 109 in Wichita — Twenty-three violations on March 13 during a routine inspection, 10 violations on March 15 during a reopening inspection and 1 violation on March 17 during a reopening inspection. Violations found on March 13 include water leaking onto cooked pork in cooler, tub of raw chicken stored directly on floor, clean forks and spoons weren’t stored properly, living cockroaches in various stages of life in building, excessive buildup of grease and food debris and unused items including greasy cardboard boxes, kitchen equipment sitting around that isn’t being used, restaurant was using insecticide that isn’t rated for use in restaurants, “several pieces of unknown debris” in container that holds plastic forks, grime and other filth in kitchen that “is significantly more than expected amount,” can of insecticide and petroleum jelly sitting above a food preparation sink, food thawing in hand-washing sink, broken water knob at kitchen hand-washing sink, employees’ drink cups were stored on surfaces that touch customer food, no written plan for cleaning up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, utensils stored where handles were touching food, cockroach crawling on rack with clean dishes, cockroaches inside wok, no soap at kitchen hand-washing sink, “excessive buildup of charred food debris” under flat top, back door was propped open, the restaurant didn’t notify the Kansas Department of Agriculture about the pest infestation and cease operations, around 100 dead cockroaches throughout restaurant, leaky cooler dripping on food and food containers. Violations found on March 15 include a container of sugar with “several pieces of unknown debris and hair inside of it,” dead cockroach in preparation sink, broken hot water knob at kitchen hand-washing sink, leak below sink, build-up of grease and dead cockroaches throughout building including on a metal rack above a preparation table, live cockroaches in kitchen, restaurant didn’t have enough insect sticky traps in building to help combat pest issues, handles of utensils were in contact with food, “approximately 100 dead cockroaches of various life cycles” throughout building including on a container of cooking oil and a container of sauce, excessive buildup of charred food debris under flat top grill, living and dead cockroaches on and below a preparation table. The business temporarily closed over the bug problem but reopened on March 17 after an inspection that found one violation, a few dead cockroaches on the floor next to the dish machine.
Pho KC LLC, 4875 E. Pawnee in Wichita — Ten violations on March 14 during a routine inspection. Violations include exterior siding separating from building which allows pest entry, raw beef and raw shrimp stored over ready-to-eat food, gap under back door allows rodent access, employee not washing hands before handling food, food probe thermometer didn’t work, no hand-washing soap at sink, dozens of old and fresh mouse droppings found, sugar and salt scattered on floors is attracting pests, unused equipment creating harborage conditions for pests, strong tobacco smell in kitchen from employee smoking, cooked tofu and other items including raw meat and seafood held at unsafe temperatures. Next inspection: March 24.
Pho Special, 2409 E. Pawnee in Wichita — One violation on March 14 during a modified complaint inspection. Violation includes live roach crawling around surfaces that touch food, holes in back wall with dead roaches, roaches by register area and ice machine, back door left open allowing potential pest entry in kitchen. Next inspection: May 31.
Quality Inn, 4849 S. Laura in Wichita — Three violations on March 10 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include standard outlet installed near a water source, secondary lock on door in one room was in disrepair, non-functional emergency light in stairwell. All of the violations were repeat violations, meaning the business had been cited for them recently. The next inspection date wasn’t listed.
Sesame Mediterranean Kitchen, 2755 N. Maize Road, Suite 109 in Wichita — Seven violations on March 11 during a routine inspection. Violations include cooked rice at unsafe temperature, unlabeled spray bottles of chemicals, rice soaked in water was sitting out at room temperature, tilapia was thawing in intact vacuum packaging which can cause harmful bacteria to grow, raw chicken stored above cooked chicken, employee handled transactions at cash register then prepared food without washing hands, cooked falafel mix wasn’t labeled with its preparation date. Next inspection: March 21.
Spears Restaurant & Pie Shop, 4323 W. Maple in Wichita — Thirteen violations on March 11 during a routine inspection. Violations include half-smoked cigarette found near food, no written plan for cleaning up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, chicken noodle soup not kept hot enough, “serious” buildup of grease and food debris throughout restaurant, no disclosure on menu about the risks of eating raw or undercooked foods, grease and food debris on cooking equipment, garlic salad and other items including raw hamburger stored at unsafe temperatures, single-use pie pans that had been used were stored as clean, dirty dishes in clean storage, crack along bottom of exit door can let pests in building, live cockroaches on traps, dead cockroach on floor on cook line, not enough sanitizer in dish sink. Next inspection: March 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.
