Live birds, flies, cockroaches on plates, mouse poop at Wichita KS restaurants
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Six Wichita businesses failed health inspections from August 10 to August 16.
- Inspectors cited violations including pests, dirty kitchens and unsafe food temps.
- Most violations were corrected quickly; one mobile food vendor was shut down.
Live birds, cockroaches on plates, mouse poop, old crab, dozens of living and dead flies, filthy equipment 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 regulations from Aug. 10-16.
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 Aug. 19 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
Braum’s Ice Cream & Dairy Store, 444 E. Pawnee in Wichita — Three violations on Aug. 12 during a complaint inspection. Tomatoes and shredded lettuce were not labeled with the time they were removed from refrigeration, sliced tomatoes were also not labeled for time, no written plan for cleaning up vomit or diarrhea. Next inspection: Aug. 22.
Carlos O’ Kelly’s Mexican Cafe, 11317 E. 13th St. in Wichita — Seven violations on Aug. 13 during a complaint inspection. Refried beans were not hot enough in steam table, menu warning fails to specify which items may be cooked to order, more than 50 fruit flies around soda fountain machine with 40 dead flies on floor around soda machine, employee did not wash hands between handling dirty and clean dishes, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes were not cold enough in cooling table, food pans had sticker residue on surfaces that touch food, pest harborage conditions in trash compactor and storage area including dead bugs and live birds, greasy equipment. Next inspection: Aug. 22.
Discount Cigarettes, 2160 S. Broadway, Suite 110 in Wichita — Two violations on Aug. 13 during a follow-up inspection. No paper towels at restroom hand-washing sink, no hand-washing sink in ware washing and food preparation areas. Next inspection: Oct. 13.
La Jarochita Mexican Food (mobile vendor/food truck), 1919 N. Spruce in Wichita — Seventeen violations on Aug. 15 during an expired license inspection. Pico de gallo was not kept cold enough, shredded cheese was not kept cold enough, raw pork not cold enough in standing cooler, wastewater tank overflowing onto ground, beans and barbacoa meat not cold enough in standing cooler, insufficient refrigeration and freezer capacity on site, unlabeled sanitizer buckets, tortilla grill is not protected by sneeze guards or separation from customers, cooler holding hot tortillas was lined with a blanket instead of foil or paper towels, no written vomiting and diarrhea cleanup plan, whole fruit stored in boxes on ground, employee used phone while handling food, three-compartment sink wasn’t big enough to accommodate large cookware, no thin probe thermometer for testing cold foods, black trash bags used to cover cooked meats instead of food-safe containers, food stored in direct contact with T-shirt bags, trompo meat stored in trash bag, no sanitizer test strips, no dedicated hand-washing sink at food preparation stations, hand sanitizer stored next to salsa toppings, initial refusal to allow inspection. The business briefly shut down over the violations. Next inspection: Aug. 25.
Sharky’s Island Bites, 9730 E. 21st St. in Wichita — Eighteen violations on Aug. 12 during a routine inspection. No letter of guarantee from fish supplier that fish served raw is parasite free, crab meat thawed in standing water, noodles and meat weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, no measurable chlorine sanitizer in dish washing machine, cook failed to wash hands between handling raw beef and cooking equipment, raw beef stored above raw fish filet in walk-in cooler, raw fish stored above ready-to-eat vegetables in cooler, open containers of sweetened condensed milk at room temperature, cooked macaroni and kimchi weren’t kept cold enough, cooked shrimp wasn’t kept cold enough, expired cooked crab, carton of sweetened condensed milk wasn’t labeled with its package opening date, tuna and salmon thawing in intact vacuum packaging, no test strips for chlorine sanitizer, cold water wasn’t working at three-compartment sink, no soap at hand-washing sink, no written vomiting and diarrhea cleanup plan, pans of cooked rice and gravy weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, cooked boba sitting out at room temperature, spam and egg sandwiches were not kept hot enough in heated cabinet, dairy products and almond milk weren’t labeled with their package opening dates, pot and thawing crab meat were blocking hand-washing sinks, pans of cooked chicken didn’t cool down quickly enough in refrigerator. Next inspection: Aug. 22.
Tom’s Lotus Garden, 822 S. Broadway in Wichita — Five violations on Aug. 12 during a complaint inspection. Raw beef stored in front of raw chicken in cold make table, raw shrimp paste stored on top of cooked egg rolls in walk-in cooler, chicken broth and pork were not labeled with their preparation dates, egg rolls and tuna were not labeled with their preparation dates, adult roach on stack of plates next to dim sum bowls, multiple roaches in main kitchen including in glass cabinet and by equipment, dead mouse and mouse droppings in dry storage area, mouse droppings in cold make table by stove top, broken kitchen equipment is harboring pests. Next inspection: Oct. 12.
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.
