Old & moldy meats, roaches, no vomit & diarrhea plans at Wichita KS restaurants
Old and moldy meat and ribs, dirty and greasy equipment, roaches around a school kitchen and cafeteria, hovering flies, bugs in alcohol, a lack of plans for cleaning up vomit or diarrhea incidents, unwrapped candy, employees who didn’t wash their hands, spoiled strawberries 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. Fourteen restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations from April 20-26.
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. Establishments can fail if they have too many problems, certain types of violations or issues that can’t be fixed right away.
Violations are common. Most of the time, businesses 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 May 1 using information available from the state on that date. It 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 hotel inspections
Carniceria El Guero No. 2, 4900 E. Lincoln in Wichita — Six violations on April 25 during a routine inspection. Violations include no food probe thermometer, employee handling dirty dishes then clean dishes without washing hands, employee washed hands in a sink dedicated to another use, improper labeling of cheesecakes and flan, flies hovering around the piñatas in front of an enclosed meat cooler, no written plan for cleaning up vomiting or diarrhea incidents. Next inspection: May 5.
Donut Palace, 1235 N. Broadway in Wichita — Four violations on April 21 during a routine inspection. Violations include cut tomato and dairy whip cream without date markings, frosting and bread in non-food grade containers, no written plan for cleaning up vomiting or diarrhea incidents. Next inspection: May 1.
Five Below, 2764 N. Maize Road, Suite 100 in Wichita — Two violations on April 21 during a routine inspection. Violations include unwrapped candy suckers, no hot water at restroom hand-washing sinks. Next inspection: May 1.
Franklin Elementary School, 214 S. Elizabeth in Wichita — One violation on April 25 during a routine inspection. Throughout the kitchen and cafeteria there were both live and dead roaches including on sticky traps and surrounding dirty trash bins. Next inspection: May 5.
The Hive Sports Bar & Grill, 231 E. Main in Valley Center — Six violations on April 24 during its first operational inspection after licensing. Violations include dirty and greasy food probe thermometer, outdated olives and turkey breast, dirty can opener, restaurant was using ant & roach spray that is not approved for use in food establishments, raw eggs stored above ready-to-eat sauces, hand-washing sink at bar had a basket of ice and a lime wedge in it. Next inspection: May 4.
Jimmy’s Egg, 3801 N. Ridge Road in Wichita — Five violations on April 23 during the restaurant’s first operational inspection after licensing. Violations include employee not washing hands between handling sanitizer and food, cooked potatoes and chorizo weren’t kept cold enough, food probe thermometer was greasy and not stored properly, cooked potatoes and chorizo did not cool to the required temperature within the required time frame, dirty dishes were stored as clean. Next inspection: May 3.
Jumbo’s Beef & Brew, 3750 N. Woodlawn, Suite 102 in Wichita — Seven violations on April 22 during a routine inspection. Violations include no written plan for cleaning up vomiting and diarrhea incidents, employee not washing hands after handling their phone, several types of cheese and other dairy products including cream cheese stuffed peppers and sauce with butter weren’t kept cold enough, spray bottle of sanitizer had its nozzle facing disposable cups, old salad dressings and chili, old pastrami and pepper jack cheese, bottle of sanitizer wasn’t labeled, water at bathroom hand-washing sinks didn’t get hot enough. Next inspection: May 2.
LMD, LLC (same address as J’s Diner), 4834 E. Lincoln in Wichita — Eight violations on April 24 during its first operational inspection after licensing. Violations include no paper towels at bathroom sinks, gallon of milk wasn’t labeled with its opening date, unlabeled spray bottles of cleaner and bleach water, two aluminum pans of ribs had mold and spores directly on the food, four pans of ribs weren’t kept cold enough, no food probe thermometer for cold foods, chemical bottles were sitting on and beside cutting boards used to prepare food, chili with beans and macaroni-and-cheese weren’t labeled with their preparation dates. Next inspection: May 4.
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, 2641 N. Maize Road in Wichita — Five violations on April 22 during a routine inspection. Violations include prepared salads that weren’t kept cold enough, metal pans stored as clean were soiled with food residue, fruit flies around sink drain at the bar, fruit fly in a bottle of Chivas scotch, no test strips for Quaternary ammonium sanitizer. Next inspection: May 2.
Pizza Hut, 1708 E. Pawnee in Wichita — Three violations on April 24 during a complaint inspection. Violations include pizza-making ingredients that weren’t kept cold enough, “very noticeable” build-up of food and grease debris on surfaces that touch food, dirty conditions on high-touch areas including too much grease and dust. Next inspection: May 6.
Sedgwick Plaza, 2455 N. Woodlawn in Wichita — Three violations on April 21 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include moldy strawberries, old pork roast, no paper towels at a hand-washing sink. Next inspection: June 21.
Sim Park Golf Course, 2020 W. Murdock in Wichita — Two violations on April 21 during a routine inspection. Violations include cooked burger patties and sauteed onions and peppers that weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, sanitizing sink was not set up. Next inspection: May 1.
Subway, 11411 E. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Five violations on April 24 during a routine inspection. Violations include several meats including chicken breast and roast beef that weren’t kept cold enough, no chlorine sanitizer test strips available, incorrect preparation date on chicken strips, unlabeled spray bottle of degreaser, chlorine sanitizer wasn’t concentrated enough. Next inspection: May 4.
Wendy’s, 6404 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Two violations on April 23 during a routine inspection. Violations include sliced Swiss cheese and sliced pepper jack cheese that weren’t kept cold enough, sliced American cheese that can be left out for eight hours wasn’t labeled with the time it was removed from refrigeration. Next inspection: May 3.
Where to complain about food, hotel 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.
