Mouse poop, roaches around food, old pork, filth at Wichita restaurants, stores
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sedgwick County inspections flagged 14 Wichita food and lodging sites Oct.19–25.
- Violations ranged from pests and temperature lapses to mislabeled and old food.
- Most businesses corrected issues on site; some required closures and reinspections.
Mouse activity including chewed bags and rodent feces, flies landing on food, moldy citrus, dead bugs, cockroaches, employees who didn’t wash their hands, old pork, dirty equipment 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. Fourteen restaurants and other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations from Oct. 19-25.
Inspectors found few or no violations that same week at more than 50 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. 29 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
Braum’s Ice Cream & Dairy Store, 5343 N. Meridian in Wichita — Eleven violations on Oct. 20 during a complaint inspection. Live fly inside a container of cheese, live flies landing on unpackaged cheese, raw bacon and sausage stored over pasteurized eggs, toasted buns and sliced cheese stored uncovered with flies landing on the cheese, gravy and chili weren’t kept hot enough in kitchen warmers, sliced ham wasn’t cold enough in a reach-in cooler, vegetables and cheese weren’t labeled with the correct discard time, dirty veggie slicer and dicer, loose trash accumulated in dumpster area, approximately five live flies and five live gnats in kitchen and ice cream areas, flies landing on food and surfaces that touch food, trash and debris around drain next to ice bin, sanitizer stored above packaged single-use straws. Next inspection: Oct. 30.
Copper Oven Cafe & Bakery, 2409 W. 13th St. in Wichita — Seventeen violations on Oct. 22 during a routine inspection. Employee handled soiled dishes then clean plates without handwashing, raw hamburger stored on floor beneath raw chicken, pie servers and knives were stored in water that wasn’t hot enough, beef and cooked veggies weren’t kept cold enough in prep cooler, hamburgers weren’t hot enough on flattop grill, diced ham and shredded cheese weren’t kept cold enough in prep table, liquid eggs weren’t kept cold enough, cubed melons weren’t kept cold enough, several foods including vegetables and meats were labeled with the wrong preparation date, old meats and vegetables, food processor and plastic pans were broken, knife wrapped with duct tape, cutting boards with deep discolored scores on them, torn door seals on coolers, dirty utensils and food preparation equipment were stored as clean, dirty door seals, improper dishwashing procedures, approximately 100 old rodent droppings in basement, dead bugs on basement shelving and floors, chemicals stored over clean linens. Next inspection: Nov. 1.
D Best Beauty Supply & African Food Market, 958 S. Oliver in Wichita — One violation on Oct. 24 during a follow-up inspection. One live roach seen by the three-compartment sink. Next inspection: Nov. 4.
Fruteria Alcaya (mobile vendor/food truck), 1610 E. Lincoln in Wichita — Two violations on Oct. 21 during its first operational inspection after licensing. No food probe thermometer on site, no paper towels at hand-washing station. Next inspection: Oct. 31.
Katana Japanese Steakhouse, 6821 W. Taft in Wichita — Two violations on Oct. 21 during a follow-up inspection, and one violation on Oct. 24 during a reopening inspection. On Oct. 21: Cockroaches inside empty rice bin and inside rice cooker, cockroaches on chest freezer and on wall next to walk-in cooler, cockroaches on wall next to three-compartment sink and inside trim on wall next to soy sauce. The business voluntarily closed over the violations. On Oct. 24: one live cockroach on water heater, one live cockroach on wall next to water heater. Next inspection: Nov. 3.
Magnolia Cafe, 2424 N. Woodlawn, Suite 111 in Wichita — Twelve violations on Oct. 22 during a routine inspection. Employee handled raw chicken then put on new gloves without washing hands, no written plan for vomiting or diarrhea incidents, employee touched ready-to-eat fried green tomatoes with bare hands, employee handled soiled rag with gloved hands then plated food, coleslaw was not labeled with the correct preparation date, inaccurate probe thermometer, no test strips for quaternary sanitizer, no chlorine sanitizer in dish machine, clean glasses stored directly on floor, restroom door into the kitchen was open during inspection, soap dispenser in employee restroom didn’t work, buildup of grime throughout kitchen. Next inspection: Nov. 1.
One Family Community Market, 1343 N. Hillside in Wichita — Eleven violations on Oct. 22 during a routine inspection. Mouse activity on dozens of bags and pallets of rice in basement storeroom including droppings and urine, chewed bags and live mouse, large accumulation of old red meat on slicer, the business didn’t have the proper clearance to make and sell kimchi, repackaged foods including grains and beans were not properly labeled, no test strips for chlorine sanitizer, sanitizer sink was not set up, meat slicer with dried residue on blade and inside machine, mouse droppings and urine in basement storeroom, pest harborage conditions in basement, dead mice in traps and under bags of rice. Next inspection: Nov. 1.
Peacock Inc. doing business as KC Gas Station, 1955 S. Washington in Wichita — One violation on Oct. 20 during a follow-up inspection. Approximately 15 small winged insects under soda fountain, two nymph roaches under cabinet, one adult roach and one nymph roach on floor. Next inspection: Dec. 20.
Sharky’s Island Bites, 8918 W. 21st St., Suite 800 in Wichita — Twelve violations on Oct. 22 during a routine inspection. Employee drank from soda bottle then handled order containers without washing hands, employee handled raw burger then condiments without washing hands, employee placed hamburger bun on flattop with bare hands, raw tuna and salmon stored above diced vegetables, cheesecake wasn’t cold enough in display case, coleslaw and macaroni weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, cheesecakes and milk were not labeled with their package opening dates, spring mix also wasn’t labeled, old food including cooked pork that had a preparation date of Aug. 5 and pickled onions dated Oct. 10, inaccurate probe thermometer, no test strips for lactic acid sanitizer, a dozen fruit flies in kitchen area including on cutting boards and clean dishes, unlabeled spray bottle. Next inspection: Nov. 1.
TJ’s Burger House, 1003 W. Douglas in Wichita — Eight violations on Oct. 23 during a complaint inspection. Molded lemons and limes in walk-in cooler, raw eggs stored above lemons, baked potatoes and pico weren’t kept cold enough in cold make table, baked potatoes were heated in a T-shirt bag instead of a food-safe container, pans with dried food debris on clean dish rack, no paper towels in men’s restroom, approximately 15 small winged insects at mop sink and dish machine, buildup of dirt and debris in floor sink and on floor around sink. Next inspection: Nov. 2.
Tacos Mexican Fast Food, 1533 S. Seneca in Wichita — Nine violations on Oct. 23 during a routine inspection. Sugar container with unknown material that might be cardboard shavings, par-cooked fries weren’t kept cold enough in walk-in cooler, containers of beans and meat weren’t cooling properly, refried beans weren’t hot enough in steam well, cooked jalapeños were left out at room temperature, restaurant has no consumer advisory for eggs cooked to order, no paper towels at men’s restroom sink, 5-10 drain flies around sinks, unlabeled bottle of degreaser, household insecticide stored near three-compartment sink. Next inspection: Nov. 2.
Wasabi Hinkaku, 912 E. Douglas in Wichita — One violation on Oct. 24 during a follow-up inspection. One live roach observed by back door area and dead roaches throughout facility. Next inspection: Nov. 4.
Wendy’s, 2120 N. Woodlawn in Wichita — Two violations on Oct. 20 during a routine inspection. Water at kitchen hand-washing sink didn’t get hot enough, approximately six flies in kitchen near food and surfaces that touch food. Next inspection: Oct. 30.
Wyndham Garden Wichita Downtown, 221 E. Kellogg in Wichita — Eight violations on Oct. 22 during a complaint inspection. Unwrapped single-use cups in one room, unlabeled spray bottles on housekeeping cart, non-working emergency lighting in hallways, lamps with empty light sockets in multiple rooms, no records for carbon monoxide detector testing, non-working smoke alarm in second floor conference room, no records for smoke alarm testing, non-working visual light in hearing impaired room. Next inspection: Nov. 1.
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.
