Cockroaches, flies, filthy kitchens, contamination risk at Wichita KS restaurants
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Eight Wichita-area businesses failed inspections from June 22-28.
- Common violations included unsafe food temperatures, pests and improper sanitation.
- Most failed businesses will receive follow-up inspections within 10 days.
Living and dead cockroaches, mouse poop, dead flies, filthy conditions in kitchens, a moldy soda nozzle, food stored on the floor, employees who didn’t wash their hands, contamination risks 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. Eight restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations from June 22-28.
Inspectors found few or no violations at more than 60 other locations deemed compliant with food safety and lodging rules.
Inspections are meant to protect the public from foodborne illnesses and other health risks. Locations 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 July 2 using information available from the state on that date. It covers Sedgwick County only.
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
Corner Market #125, 1254 S. Tyler Road in Wichita — Eight violations on June 25 during a routine inspection. Establishment did not have a written plan to clean up vomiting or diarrhea, no food probe thermometer, two different kinds of popsicles for sale had no retail labeling, ambient air thermometer inside of glass door cooler read 40F while inspector’s thermometer read 49F, large sign blocking hand-washing sink, plumbing issue at mop sink, food in cooler including cheese and milk weren’t kept cold enough, large buildup of mold on soda fountain nozzle. Next inspection: July 5.
Fu Bing Petroleum, 248 S. Hillside in Wichita — Two violations on June 25 during a routine inspection. Water at the three-vat sink and the mop sink didn’t get hot enough, water at the hand-washing sink in the restroom wasn’t hot enough. Next inspection: July 5.
La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Wichita Airport, 6335 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Four violations on June 25 during a routine inspection. Butter packets and waffle mix weren’t kept cold enough, no test strips available for sanitizer, sausage links in the buffet warmer weren’t hot enough, apples on the buffet line weren’t individually wrapped to protect them from contamination. Next inspection: July 5.
The Mango Tree, 111 E. 47th St. South in Wichita — Four violations on June 26 during a follow-up inspection. Live cockroaches observed crawling along the floor in dish area, no pest control sticky traps on floors, dead cockroaches observed in dish area and office space, several dead flies around restaurant, fly strip hanging above clean side of dish machine. Next inspection: Aug. 26.
Minisuper Aquascalientes, 3363 E. 47th St. South in Wichita — Nine violations on June 24 during a routine inspection. General level of cleanliness throughout business needs improvement, plastic container used as a scoop for bulk peanuts had several holes and cracks, hand-washing sink was blocked by a cardboard box, raw eggs and raw pork were stored over ready-to-eat foods in coolers, several rodent droppings throughout business, several dead flies and a dead mouse, several items inside cooler weren’t labeled with their package opening or preparation dates, bulk food display had accumulation of food debris below food trays, onions stored on floor. Next inspection: July 4.
Sam’s Southern Eatery, 2706 N. Amidon in Wichita — Nine violations on June 27 during a complaint inspection. Several foods including potato salad and coleslaw weren’t kept cold enough, excessive amount of grease and food debris behind fryers and cold make tables, ceiling above cook line and in hallway has buildup of dust and grime, bottles of bleach water and degreaser weren’t labeled, raw chicken and raw fish were stored above open containers of Alfredo sauce and noodles, water didn’t get hot enough at sinks, cheesecake was not labeled with its package opening date, rice and macaroni and cheese were stored in T-shirt to-go bags instead of food-grade containers, cooked popcorn shrimp was stored in T-shirt to-go bag instead of food-grade container, dead batteries in food thermometer, no soap at hand-washing sink on food preparation line. Next inspection: July 8.
Tianluo Bistro, 11309 E. Kellogg Drive North, Suite 200 in Wichita — Four violations on June 24 during an inspection that was a follow-up to an administrative order. Cans of soy sauce and fish sauce in dry storage had holes in them, raw pork liver was stored above a box of whole eggplant, raw eggs and raw chicken were stored over green beans, raw chicken stored above container of noodles, restaurant was thawing whole raw ducks at room temperature, no sanitizer test strips. Next inspection: Aug. 24.
TPS Midwest Corp, 3108 E. 31st St. South in Wichita — Fifteen violations on June 26 during a routine inspection. Several employees washed their hands at the wrong sink, peppers were not labeled with the time they were placed in the steam table, raw shrimp thawing at room temperature, employee didn’t wash hands between washing dishes and handling food, employee cut raw onions without wearing gloves, chlorine sanitizer was unmeasurable at three-compartment sink, no drain for mop sink faucet, no floor drain at service sink near meat area, no written plan for cleaning up vomit or diarrhea, cracks around back exit doors, dead cockroaches and flies, salsas weren’t cold enough in cooler, several bags of corn husks and bag of peanuts were stored on the ground, container of beans had a bowl sitting directly on them, several areas need to be cleaned, food debris and other grime behind cold holding units and in corners. Next inspection: July 6.
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.
This story was originally published July 5, 2025 at 4:23 AM.
