Bugs around bar, sauce on floor, old food, filth at Wichita restaurants
Chemical bottles with no labels, dogs on site without an approved plan, dirty kitchens, old food, bugs around bottles and taps at a bar, employees who didn’t wash hands 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. Five restaurants and other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations from Dec. 28 through Jan. 3.
Inspectors found few or no violations that 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 Jan. 6 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
Bar Louie, 1523 S. Ridge Road in Wichita — Six violations on Dec. 30 during its first operational inspection after licensing. No sanitizer in dish machine, no paper towels at hand-washing sink on make line, raw salmon thawing in intact vacuum packaging, several spray bottles with no label, vegetables not kept cold enough, no sanitizer test strips. Next inspection: Jan. 9.
Barks & Brews, 1312 E. English in Wichita — Six violations on Dec. 31 during a routine inspection. Nozzle gun had buildup of brown debris, no written plan in place to prevent contamination from dogs, no written plan to clean up vomit or diarrhea, whipped topping and half & half did not have opening dates listed, no test strips on site for chlorine sanitizer, no paper towels at bar hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Jan. 10.
The Green Derby, 132 Sunnydell in Derby — Four violations on Dec. 29 during a routine inspection. Approximately 30 small winged insects flying around bottles and taps in bar, no food probe thermometer, water at hand-washing sink was not hot enough, containers of French onion dip not labeled with dates they were opened. Next inspection: Jan. 8.
New Good Fortune Chinese Restaurant, 10410 W. Maple, Suite 110 in Wichita — Thirteen violations on Jan. 2 during a modified complaint inspection. Employee didn’t wash hands after touching dirty utensil, employee dropped tongs on ground then picked them up and used them, sauce stored on floor, cooked chicken in cardboard box that was not food grade, plastic T-shirt bag was used as glove for lo mein noodles, employee touched his head and then began boxing order, heavy buildup of food debris and grease at woks and large buildup of crusted food debris on side of sauce crockpots, dirty pots, employee didn’t wash or sanitize container and tongs, general level of cleanliness needs improvement, buildup of grease and debris in kitchen, crockpot lid held together with soiled duct tape, hand-washing sink blocked by plastic buckets, batteries dead in paper towel dispenser, cooked chicken stored in cardboard used for raw chicken, utensils in hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Jan. 12.
Playa Azul, 111 N. Washington in Wichita — Six violations on Dec. 30 during a routine inspection. Old carnitas and flan, queso and chili verde not kept hot enough, chicken not kept hot enough, no paper towels in men’s restroom, raw beef stored above uncovered pan of beans, raw chicken stored above raw beef, glass cleaner stored on shelf directly above drink mixes. The next inspection date wasn’t listed.
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.
