Roaches, old meat, dead mice, safety hazards at Wichita restaurant, motel
Cockroaches, dead mice, stained and burned bed linens, old meat, safety hazards 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. A restaurant, a store and a motel were non-compliant with state regulations from Nov. 23-29.
Inspectors found few or no violations that same week at 30 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 Dec. 4 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
Fat Ernie’s Family Dining, 2806 S. Hydraulic in Wichita — Seven violations on Nov. 25 during a complaint inspection. Live cockroaches in north dining area and behind bar, cockroaches by dish machine, old brisket, chlorine sanitizer undetectable in dish machine, dead cockroaches under server counter and on wall, no written plan for cleaning up vomit or diarrhea, rehydrated hash browns were not kept cold enough, cooked noodles weren’t kept cold enough. Next inspection: Dec. 5.
Oliver C Store 1, 2001 S. Oliver in Wichita — Two violations on Nov. 24 during a follow-up inspection. No sanitizer available, no test strips available to measure sanitizer concentration. Next inspection: Jan. 23.
Sky Palace Inn & Suites, 7321 E. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Thirteen violations on Nov. 25 during an inspection that was a follow-up to an administrative order. Live roach in bed and live spiders in bathtub of room 101, missing HVAC vents in multiple rooms, broken window was sealed with wood, dirty walls with unfinished patches, trash and debris on mattresses, dead mice on sidewalk by lobby door, non-functioning smoke detector, debris in cabinets and under couch cushions in rooms, mold in refrigerator freezer, loose and rusted guard rails with missing spindle is creating safety hazards, dirty floors, no fitted sheets in rooms prepared for guests, stained sheets with burn holes, no hot water at hand-washing sink in one room, no verification of laundry service for guest linens. Rooms on the second floor and rooms 101, 104 and 109 are voluntarily closed until issues are fixed. Next inspection: Jan. 25.
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.
