Mouse poop in peanuts, old hot dogs, more health risks at Wichita KS restaurants
Mouse poop falling out of a bag of peanuts, old hot dogs, employees who didn’t wash their hands, food that wasn’t stored or labeled properly, standing water, dirty equipment, dead rodents 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. Six restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state rules from April 6-12.
Inspectors found few or no violations at more than 60 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 14 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 safety & hotel inspections
HuHot Mongolian Grill, 2035 N. Rock Road, Suite 119 in Wichita — Four violations on April 8 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include Thai peanut sauce that didn’t cool off quickly enough in refrigeration, standing water in the kitchen, incorrect sanitizer test kit used at a dishwashing machine, no paper towels at hand-washing sink. Next inspection: April 21.
Little Saigon Restaurant, 1015 N. Broadway in Wichita — Twelve violations on April 8 during a routine inspection. Violations include degraded and soiled linens, sliced cabbage and heads of lettuce weren’t kept cold enough, fried rice and milk used in Vietnamese coffee weren’t kept cold enough, no verifiable employee illness policy in place at restaurant, no bodily fluid clean-up plan in place, dirty mixer and meat slicer, no soap at kitchen hand-washing sink, employee touched ready-to-eat lettuce with bare hands, egg rolls and chicken nuggets were stored in containers that are not food grade, rice noodles weren’t kept hot enough, employee didn’t wash hands before putting on gloves, employee washed hands at a sink dedicated to another purpose, egg rolls and other foods were not labeled with their preparation dates. Next inspection: April 18.
Ruben’s Mexican Grill, 915 W. Douglas in Wichita — Three violations on April 11 during a complaint inspection. Violations include salsa that was not kept cold enough, brisket and Spanish rice were not properly cooled, foods throughout the restaurant were not labeled with their preparation or package opening dates. Next inspection: April 21.
Sonic Drive-In, 110 S. West St. in Wichita — Three violations on April 9 during a routine inspection. Violations include water that wasn’t hot enough at a sanitizing sink, old hot dogs, issue with how a mop sink was set up. Next inspection: April 19.
Supermercado Del Pueblo, 2128 N. Broadway in Wichita — Four violations on April 9 during an inspection that was a follow-up to an administrative order. Violations include no paper towels at kitchen hand-washing sink, dozens of mouse droppings and dead mice in and around food and storage areas, dead mice in utility closet containing heating and air conditioning equipment, bulk peanuts bag chewed by mice, mouse droppings falling from peanut bag. Next inspection: June 9.
Taichi Bubble Tea, 2413 N. Maize Road, Unit 101 in Wichita — Seven violations on April 8 during a routine inspection. Violations include employee who touched raw shrimp then bowl for rice without washing hands and changing gloves, rice sat out at room temperature overnight, food probe thermometer not cleaned, foods including chicken and pork soup and mango sauce were not labeled with their preparation dates, restaurant was serving rice that had been sitting outside of temperature control for too long, wiping cloths and bags of food were blocking access to a hand-washing sink, spray bottles of degreaser weren’t labeled. Next inspection: April 18.
How to complain about restaurants & hotels
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.
