Cockroaches, flies landing on food, dirty meat grinder at Wichita KS restaurants, stores
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Ten Wichita businesses failed state inspections between July 20 and July 26.
- Violations included pest infestations, improper food temps and hand hygiene issues.
- Most violations are corrected onsite; several repeat offenses noted.
Living and dead cockroaches, flies landing on food, employees who ignored proper hand-washing procedures, a dirty meat grinder and cupcake pans, chemicals that weren’t labeled correctly, multiple repeat violations, a foul odor in a motel building 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 regulations from July 20-26.
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 be temporarily shut down over violations.
Places that fail are usually reinspected within 10 days.
The list in this report was compiled on July 30 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
Bobalicious in Towne East Square, 7700 E. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Four violations on July 22 during a follow-up inspection. Employee wore gloves to take a cash payment and then made a drink without removing gloves or washing hands (repeat violation), no paper towels at the front hand-washing sink, container of creamer powder kept uncovered next to hand-washing sink and inside splash zone, ice bucket stored on ground, employee handled cash then put on gloves and prepared a drink without washing hands (repeat violation). Next inspection: Sept. 22.
Carniceria El Guero No. 1, 524 W. 21st St. in Wichita — Nine violations on July 23 during a routine inspection. Packages of infant medicine weren’t labeled in English, dirty meat grinder, spray bottles of chemicals weren’t labeled, no paper towels at storage room hand-washing sink in meat department, glass cleaner spray bottle stored over boxes of gloves and storage bags in kitchen, open box of raw chicken stored over sealed packages of raw beef, cooked chicken and baked ham-and-cheese bread weren’t kept hot enough, no soap at hand-washing sink in meat area, boxes of raw pork weren’t kept cold enough. Next inspection: Aug. 3.
Chick N Max, 352 S. West St., Suite 100 in Wichita — Nine violations on July 22 during a routine inspection. Chicken wings and pulled chicken weren’t kept cold enough, wrapped brownies and cookies aren’t labeled, labels with ingredients and allergens are missing from packaged cookies and brownies for sale at the counter, cracked food container, corn dogs weren’t kept cold enough, no handles on utensils used to dispense spices, dirty cupcake pans in storage, three-vat sink was leaking around water outlet with water going everywhere when used. Next inspection: Aug. 1.
Costco Wholesale, 9700 E. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Two violations on July 23 during a routine inspection. Cheese and tomatoes weren’t kept cold enough in the food court, employee touched raw pork with a slash-resistant metal mesh glove without a food-safe glove covering it. Next inspection: Aug. 2.
Dillons, 13415 W. Maple in Wichita — Two violations on July 24 during a follow-up inspection. Fly landed on a cookie in bakery, 10 to 15 flies in the kitchen, dead fly in hot food case, flies landing on food and surfaces. Next inspection: Sept. 24.
Fu Bing Petroleum, 248 S. Hillside in Wichita — One violation on July 22 during a follow-up inspection. Repeat violation for water not getting hot enough at sinks throughout the building. Next inspection: Aug. 1.
Lima Nation Peruvian Kitchen, 2146 N. Collective Lane, Suite 102 in Wichita — Nine violations on July 25 during a routine inspection. Milk in walk-in cooler was not labeled with the date it was opened, raw fish and raw beef stored above pork belly in walk-in cooler, raw eggs stored above produce, raw fish thawing in intact vacuum packaging, pan of rice stored at room temperature, facility vacuum packages raw meats without proper approval from the state, torn and damaged rubber spatulas, missing plans tied to how foods are handled, tuna tartare and shrimp tartare not linked to menu advisory warning of risks of eating undercooked foods, rice was not labeled with the time it was left out at room temperature. Next inspection: Aug. 4.
Mark 8 Inn, 1130 N. Broadway in Wichita — Four violations on July 21 during a complaint inspection. Foul odor in the south building, multiple roaches seen in hallways, heavy debris on carpet and floor tiles in south building, non-functioning exit signs in buildings. Next inspection: Sept. 21.
Sam’s Southern Eatery Wichita, 2706 N. Amidon in Wichita — Two violations on July 23 during a follow-up inspection. Containers of potato salad and coleslaw weren’t kept cold enough (repeat violation), rice and macaroni and cheese were stored in direct contact with non-food-grade to-go bags in hot well pans (repeat violation). Next inspection: Sept. 23.
The Shadows, 6339 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Two violations on July 21 during a follow-up inspection. One full-grown and one nymph cockroach observed behind large cooler at bar, live cockroach near three-compartment sink, dead cockroaches in building. Next inspection: Sept. 21.
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.
