Month-old meat, cockroach on clean pan, rodent feces at Wichita KS restaurants
A cockroach crawling on a clean pan, month-old hot dogs, leaky sinks, standing water, filthy kitchens, food stored directly on the floor, several bug infestations, employees not washing their hands, rodent poop in a dining room and more 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. Ten restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state rules from March 23-29.
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 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 April 2 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 food and lodging inspections
Aztecas Mexican Grill, 111 N. Main in Haysville — Six violations on March 26 during a routine inspection. Violations include month-old hot dogs and old salsa, raw chicken and beef stored above lettuce and mushrooms in cooler, overly concentrated sanitizer, chili rancheros not labeled with their preparation date, dirty blender stored with clean dishes, sanitizer bucket was stored on top of a bin of tortilla chips. The next inspection date wasn’t listed.
Dollar Plus Grocery & Smoke Shop, 1341 N. Grove in Wichita — One violation on March 28 during a routine inspection. The hand-washing sink in the prep kitchen was turned off due to a leak. Next inspection: April 7.
El Ricardo’s Mexican Food, 503 N. West St. in Wichita — One violation on March 27 during a follow-up inspection. The sink in the men’s bathroom still hadn’t been repaired to provide sufficient pressure for washing hands. The next inspection date wasn’t listed.
Fat Ernie’s Family Dining, 2806 S. Hydraulic in Wichita — Seventeen violations on March 28 during a complaint inspection. Violations include cracked and chipped plates, cottage cheese and diced tomatoes weren’t cold enough in refrigeration, macaroni and cheese didn’t cool quickly enough in refrigeration, an employee’s drink was stored on a cutting board, no written plan for cleaning up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, grease buildup on fryers and preparation tables, cockroach crawling on a clean sheet pan, sticker residue on several plastic containers in clean storage, no soap in the employee restroom, employee put on gloves without washing hands, issue with consumer advisory regarding meats, dead cockroaches inside of a handle to the flour bin and in a cabinet under the soda fountain, “general cleanliness of establishment needs improvement” including elimination of trash and utensils along baseboards and in corners and behind equipment, employee touched clean dishes after handling dirty dishes, flour stored in container that wasn’t food grade, no paper towels at employee bathroom sink, containers of raw catfish and other foods stored directly on the kitchen floor, rodent droppings in the dining room under soda cabinets, cockroaches in dish storage room and wall by dish machine. Next inspection: April 7.
Golden Corral Buffet & Grill, 616 S. Ridge Road in Wichita — Eleven violations on March 27 during a complaint inspection. Violations include missing tiles at the floor drain and under the fryer, dead cockroaches on the floor by dish machine and under salad bar, food debris and grease and char on containers and pans that had already been cleaned, significant grease and food debris on and under the fryer and refrigerated preparation tables, leaky sinks and standing water, leaky pipe below garbage disposal, shredded lettuce and whipped topping on cakes weren’t kept cold enough, cracked lids and food containers, single-use buckets for frosting were in clean storage instead of being thrown away, cockroaches crawling on wall by the dish machine. Next inspection: April 6.
HuHot Mongolian Grill, 2035 N. Rock Road, Suite 119 in Wichita — Nine violations on March 25 during a routine inspection. Violations include egg drop and hot-and-sour soups that weren’t cooled properly, cracked food storage containers and utensils, sticky residue on floors and handles throughout the restaurant, dishwashing machine wasn’t dispensing sanitizer, broken thermometer, food debris buildup on surfaces that touch food including rice cookers and food storage items, liquid and food particles accumulated under food preparation sink, standing water “from an unknown source” in kitchen, no paper towels at kitchen hand-washing sink, bean sprouts weren’t kept cold enough. Next inspection: April 5.
The Mango Tree, 111 E. 47th St. South in Wichita — Six violations on March 24 during a modified complaint inspection. Violations include a back door that was propped open during the inspection, dead cockroaches near the dish machine and soda fountain, buildup of grease and other debris on equipment, no hot water in restaurant, cockroach near the soda fountain, poor general cleanliness attracting pests, “several areas of spilled food and grease deposits.” Next inspection: April 3.
Park City Chopstix, 1615 E. 61st St. North, Suite 500 in Park City — Seven violations on March 28 during a routine inspection. Violations include cooked meats and shrimp that weren’t kept cold enough, shredded cabbage and fried chicken left at room temperature, raw eggs were not refrigerated, hand-washing sink blocked by rubber gloves and sponges in basin, buckets blocking access to hand-washing sink, raw shrimp thawing in standing water instead of running water, rangoon filling in the walk-in fridge wasn’t labeled with its preparation date, raw eggs stored above oranges and sauce packets, an employee cracked raw eggs then handled vegetables without washing hands. Next inspection: April 7.
Pupuseria El Torogoz, 2061 S. Seneca in Wichita — Ten violations on March 26 during a joint inspection. Violations include deli ham and milk that weren’t labeled with the dates their packages were opened, food stored in non-food grade containers including ones that were broken and chipped, no consumer advisory or reminder on menu warning customers of risks of consuming undercooked egg dishes, employee drink was sitting on food preparation table, restaurant wasn’t sanitizing surfaces that touch food, no paper towels at hand-washing sink, coleslaw and preshaped pupusas weren’t kept cold enough, containers of strawberry gelatin had no package labeling, no drain boards for air drying sanitized utensils and food bins. Next inspection: April 7.
Stone Creek Elementary School, 3012 N. Triple Creek Drive in Derby — One violation on March 24 during a follow-up inspection. Water at the hand-washing sinks by the dishwashing machine and by the food line didn’t get hot enough. Next inspection: April 3.
Where to complain about food, lodging safety
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.
