Pest poop by clean plates, dead bugs in liquor, bad hygiene at Wichita KS restaurants
Rodent feces by clean plates, a cockroach by a wok, cooks who touched customer food after scratching their head or touching a trash can, dead bugs floating in a liquor bottle, old ham and potato salad, filthy kitchen conditions 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. Twelve restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state rules from March 16-22.
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 if they have too many problems, certain types of violations or issues that can’t be fixed right away. But 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. Issues that take longer to correct include 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 27 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
Bionic Burger, 243 N. Main in Haysville — Four violations on March 17 during a routine inspection. Violations include raw hamburger patties sitting out at room temperature, grease and dust buildup on the ceiling above the main cook area, blanched French fries were not labeled with the time they were left out at room temperature, spoiled limes in the walk-in cooler. The restaurant was in compliance at its March 27 follow-up inspection.
Boulevard Theatres at Old Town, 353 N. Mead in Wichita — One violation on March 18 during a follow-up inspection. The theater does not have a hand-washing sink near the popcorn machine. The next inspection date was not listed.
Chiang Mai Thai Restaurant, 3141 S. Hillside in Wichita — Fourteen violations on March 20 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include an employee handling ready-to-eat rice noodles with gloved hands after scratching her head, sliced tomatoes and bamboo shoots weren’t kept cold enough, whole cooked chickens and cream cheese weren’t kept cold enough, restaurant was reusing single-use plastic containers to store food, no paper towels at the women’s restroom sink, bean sprouts stored in a cracked plastic container, chlorine sanitizer at the dish machine wasn’t working properly, dried rodent droppings, no chlorine sanitizer test strips, grease and food debris buildup in kitchen, half inch gap on corner of exterior door, raw pork and raw chicken stored above and in direct contact with bags of bean sprouts, several items including rice and noodles weren’t labeled with the date they were made, live cockroach crawling under wok table, fresh rodent droppings in several areas including in a box of flour and on a shelf that holds clean plates. Next inspection: May 20.
Comfort Suites Airport, 7515 W. Taft in Wichita — Three violations on March 17 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include emergency lights that don’t work outside of meeting rooms and in the pool area, no carbon monoxide detector in the fourth-floor electrical room, standard outlet installed above water hook-ups instead of a ground fault circuit interrupter outlet. Next inspection: March 27.
Crispy Donuts, 460 N. West St. in Wichita — Four violations on March 20 during a complaint inspection. Violations include fresh mouse droppings and chewed wall materials in the prep kitchen, milk and half-and-half weren’t labeled with their package opening dates, the business didn’t have a written policy stating how it handles breakfast sandwiches and croissant-wrapped hot dogs that aren’t refrigerated, no hot water at the men’s bathroom sink. Next inspection: March 30.
El Ricardo’s Mexican Food, 503 N. West St. in Wichita — Six violations on March 17 during a routine inspection. Violations include accumulation of dried blood in the freezer, business was selling desserts prepared in a residential kitchen instead of a licensed facility, cheese sauce stored at unsafe temperatures, no paper towels at the kitchen hand-washing sink, pans of al pastor and asada were not labeled with their preparation dates, inadequate water pressure at the men’s bathroom sink. The restaurant remained out of compliance, with one violation related to the sink, on March 27.
HomeGrown, 2835 N. Maize Road, Suite 195 in Wichita — Five violations on March 21 during a routine inspection. Violations include an employee handling ready-to-eat cheese and avocado with their bare hands, cook did not change gloves after handling raw eggs, a cook handled French toast batter containing raw eggs and then ready-to-eat bacon without washing hands, dirty food probe thermometer, dirty bread pans were in clean storage. Next inspection: March 31.
Just a Sip, 2126 N. Webb in Wichita — Four violations on March 21 during a routine inspection. Violations include washing and sanitizing sinks set up in the wrong order, no thermometers on site, containers of boba were left out at room temperature, sanitizer testing kit was adulterated and couldn’t read sanitizer levels properly. Next inspection: March 31.
KimSon Asian Market, 960 E. Pawnee in Wichita — Nineteen violations on March 19 during a joint inspection. Violations include missing logs that show when food is removed from heat or refrigeration, store lacked required paperwork and approval to vacuum package sausage, dirty dishes were stored as clean, fish in the display case had no labeling information, unlabeled flan and dessert cups, unlabeled seasoning packages, whole raw chicken for sale had no safe handling information on it, an employee touched a trash can and then handled ready-to-eat herbs without changing gloves or washing hands, plumbing issue, salt contaminated with an unknown substance, boxes of food stored directly on the ground, incorrect sanitizer strips, market was letting customer self-serve raw fish and raw shrimp, old fish sauce mixture, individually packaged fish was open and exposed to possible contaminants, white dry powder wasn’t labeled, business needs regular deep cleanings, employees had personal medicine stored with items and foods for sale, no written plan for cleaning up vomiting and diarrhea incidents, cooked mung beans weren’t cooled properly. Next inspection: March 29.
Sheet’s Creek, 1720 N. Webb, Suite 102 in Wichita — Six violations on March 18 during its first operational inspection after licensing. Violations include a wine bottle in direct contact with ice used for drinks, butter at room temperature, grill cleaner stored next to food wraps and food bags, dirty pans on the clean dish storage shelf, can of dairy whipped cream was not labeled with the date it was opened, dead insects floating in a bottle of liquor, old ranch and diced turkey. Next inspection: March 28.
Super East Buffet, 7607 E. Douglas in Wichita — Nine violations on March 17 during a complaint inspection. Violations include cooked pork and shrimp that weren’t kept cold enough in refrigeration, food items stored on the floor, unlabeled bottles of window cleaner, raw chicken stored above cooked shrimp in cooler, cooked crawfish wasn’t cooled properly, sushi rice was not labeled with the time it was removed from temperature control, an employee touched sushi rice after handling a soiled rag, unlabeled items at sushi bar, food debris on serving pans and plates that were stored as clean. Next inspection: March 27.
Walt’s Great American Sports Bar & Grill, 7732 E. Central, Suite 110 in Wichita — Eleven violations on March 20 during a complaint inspection. Violations include a cook handling raw beef and then touching other items without changing gloves or washing hands, old ham and potato salad, inadequate lighting in the beer walk-in cooler and back food storage area, incorrect sanitizer test strips were being used, food storage containers and lids with tape and sticker residue were stored as clean, no hand-washing sink near the area where employees wash dishes, food debris and grease buildup in the kitchen, coleslaw was not kept cold enough, cooked chicken and bread pudding were not labeled with their preparation dates, no written procedures or logs related to handling of French fries, leaky sink in men’s bathroom. Next inspection: March 30.
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.
