Roaches, unsafe temps, bugs in liquor, too much trash at Wichita KS restaurants
Cockroaches, bugs in alcohol bottles, too much trash, mishandled food, items that weren’t kept hot or cold enough, no hot water, missing equipment, a moldy ice machine, rotting produce and more are among violations state 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 or other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations from Sept. 21-27.
Inspectors found few or no violations at 40 other locations deemed compliant with food safety and lodging rules.
Kansas Department of Agriculture 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 may 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 Oct. 2 using information available from the state on that date. It covers Sedgwick County only.
But you can search food safety and lodging inspection results elsewhere in Kansas at https://foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.
Out-of-compliance inspections
360 Deli & Grill, 11309 E. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Eleven violations on Sept. 22 during a routine inspection. Employee put on gloves without washing hands before making sandwich, no written plan for vomiting or diarrhea incidents, unlabeled bread packages offered for retail sale, raw beef stored above ready-to-eat sauerkraut, raw bacon stored above ready-to-eat potatoes, cooked chicken held at improper temperature (100-120 degrees Fahrenheit when it should be at least 135 degrees), steak held at 65 degrees in turned-off steam well (should be at least 135 degrees), pasta salads were not labeled with their preparation dates, sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce were not labeled with their preparation dates, gallon of milk was not labeled with its package opening date, menu was missing consumer advisory reminder for eggs, food containers with sticker residue, no hand-washing soap in prep room, no paper towels at prep room hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Oct. 2.
Allen Elementary School, 1881 S. Elpyco in Wichita — One violation on Sept. 26 during a routine inspection. No hot water available throughout building, hand-washing sink and three-compartment sink only reached 74 degrees. Next inspection: Oct. 6.
El Rancho Restaurant #2, 1601 E. Pawnee in Wichita — Sixteen violations on Sept. 24 during a routine inspection. Employee washed hands without using soap, employee used food preparation sink as hand-washing sink, no written plan for vomiting or diarrhea incidents, moldy tomatoes in walk-in cooler, raw beef stored above cooked beans and onions, food items including peppers and onions stored directly on ground, cooked barbacoa at 80 degrees after four hours (should be 70 degrees within two hours for proper cooling), walk-in cooler at 55 degrees (should be 41 degrees or below) with multiple foods at unsafe temperatures (meats 53-54 degrees, sauces 53-54 degrees, rice 57 degrees, beans 59 degrees, fried chilis 58 degrees), tacos had no preparation date labels, raw eggs offered without consumer advisory, peppers stored in T-shirt bags instead of food-grade containers, inaccurate thermometer, employee did not sanitize dishes, restroom door that opens directly to kitchen is not self-closing, chemical storage bucket was labeled as lard, unapproved pesticides (Raid fogger) found on premises. Next inspection: Oct. 4.
HRA Wichita Entertainment (Fever Night Life), 116 N. Mead in Wichita — Eight violations on Sept. 27 during a routine inspection. No written plan for vomiting or diarrhea incidents, fruit flies contaminating multiple liquor bottles (including Jim Beam, Montezuma, Long Island Tea, Crown Royal Apple and Kentucky Gentleman), mold in cranberry juice, no chlorine sanitizer test strips, inadequate hot water at three-compartment sink (should be at least 110 degrees), inadequate hot water at bar hand-washing sink and women's restroom sink (should be at least 100 degrees), slow-draining three-compartment sink was flooding from air gap, no paper towels at back and front hand-washing sinks, approximately 25 fruit flies in mop sink room and bar area. Next inspection: Oct. 7.
Meddys, 2441 N. Maize Road, Suite 1501 in Wichita — Four violations on Sept. 26 during a routine inspection. No written plan for vomiting or diarrhea incidents, fruit flies inside bottles of banana schnapps and sour apple schnapps, employee handled dirty dishes then clean dishes without removing gloves or washing hands, live cockroaches on hand-washing sink and under reach-in cooler. Next inspection: Oct. 6.
Out Run, 230 S. Baltimore in Derby — Five violations on Sept. 25 during a licensing-operational inspection. No food probe thermometer on site, no quaternary ammonium test strips for three-compartment sink sanitizer, pink and brown debris buildup inside ice machine lid, water-damaged exit door frame is falling apart and creating a potential pest entry point, trash and debris buildup around soda boxes in back storage room. Next inspection: Oct. 5.
Rolling Hills Country Club, 223 S. Westlink in Wichita — Four violations on Sept. 26 during a routine inspection. Employee touched sanitizer rag with gloved hands then handled burger bun without washing hands, walk-in cooler at 48 degrees (should be 41 degrees or below) with roast beef at 48 degrees and house-made dressing at 49 degrees, raw meats and dairy products including milk weren’t kept cold enough, no chlorine sanitizer test strips, dish washing machine didn’t get hot enough to sanitize dishes. Next inspection: Oct. 6.
Sam's Club, 3084 N. Maize Road in Wichita — One violation on Sept. 24 during a routine inspection. Multiple produce items with mold growth, produce spoiling or leaking on retail floor including several containers of sweet snaps, bags of potatoes, assorted fruits (plums, papayas, peaches, cantaloupe), tomatoes and cucumbers. Next inspection: Oct. 4.
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.
