Roach crawling on ice, bugs in liquor, old chicken at Wichita KS restaurants
A roach crawling on ice, bugs in liquor bottles, meat thawing in stagnant water, moldy produce, a fly on roast beef, old chicken tenders and hot dogs, unlabeled chemicals, dirty kitchens 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. Thirteen restaurants and other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations Jan. 4-10.
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. 15 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
Bingo Casino, 1211 E. 47th St. South in Wichita — Three violations on Jan. 8 during a follow-up inspection. Dish soap stored directly above packages of hot dogs and raw beef (repeat violation), packages of frozen hot dogs and raw ground beef thawing in stagnant water, sliced tomatoes and chicken salad were not kept cold enough (repeat violation). Next inspection: March 8.
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson Wichita East, 333 S. Webb in Wichita — Three violations on Jan. 9 during a routine inspection. Bowl of grapes and bowl of cut mango on breakfast line didn’t have any overhead protection, mislabeled chemicals, yogurt not kept cold enough. Next inspection: Jan. 19.
Emerson Biggins/Rock Island Live, 808 E. Douglas in Wichita — Eight violations on Jan. 6 during a routine inspection. Milk and half & half cream not labeled with their package opening dates, dead winged insects in five liquor bottles, cracked and torn spatulas, juvenile roaches crawling on bar sink and adult roach inside ice machine crawling on ice, adult roach crawling on wall by back door, ham and cheese not kept cold enough, old cooked beans and tomato paste, dirty pans stored as clean, cooked beans and queso were not labeled with their preparation dates. Next inspection: Jan. 16.
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, 306 N. Rock Road in Wichita — Five violations on Jan. 6 during a complaint inspection. Employee cracked raw egg then touched ready-to-eat tortilla and clean spatula without removing gloves and washing hands, moldy tomatoes, dead bug in bottle of scotch whiskey, no soap at bar hand-washing sink, guacamole with diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce were not kept cold enough, queso not kept cold enough in refrigerated prep table, food including queso and ground beef not kept warm enough in hot holding steam table. Next inspection: Jan. 16.
Jump Start, 730 N. Broadway in Wichita — Six violations on Jan. 7 during a routine inspection. No written plan to clean up vomit or diarrhea, fly crawling on roast beef deli meat, container of cooked popcorn chicken was not dated, several deli sandwich ingredients including meats and cheese slices were not kept cold enough, no hot water at kitchen hand-washing sink, old chicken tenders, dirty pans stored as clean. Next inspection: Jan. 17.
Las Vaquitas Mexican Food, 128 E. Madison in Derby — Nine violations on Jan. 5 during a routine inspection. Spoiled limes, server touched tacos with bare hands, bleach stored on plate holders and above packages of tortillas and spices, old verde salsa, old chile Colorado and shredded beef, old hot dogs, restroom on south side of building did not have hand-washing sign posted, unlabeled chemicals, seafood mix was not labeled with its preparation date, tamales and carnitas were not labeled with their preparation dates, wrong preparation date on mole, raw chicken stored over mushrooms, raw beef patties stored over bread, carnitas not kept warm enough. Next inspection: Jan. 15.
Prairie Donuts, 1652 S. Rock Road in Wichita — Nine violations on Jan. 6 during a routine inspection. Wooden spoons used for frosting had buildup of old food debris, no paper towels at kitchen hand-washing sink, person in charge said she never washes large mixing bowl for mixer, general level of cleanliness needs improvement, buildup of frosting and other food debris on surfaces, no written plan to clean up vomit or diarrhea, no sanitizer test strips available, no sanitizer available, bottle of residential-use only ant and roach spray was in kitchen. Next inspection: Jan. 16.
Sapporo Japanese Sushi Restaurant, 8065 E. Peachtree Lane in Wichita — Five violations on Jan. 5 during a routine inspection. Hand-washing sink was being used to hold plastic container, the time that shrimp mixture was removed from refrigeration was not marked, employee touched salad with bare hands, employee touched raw beef then plated bento box of ready-to-eat food, frozen raw tuna was thawing at room temperature. Next inspection: Jan. 15.
Schlotzsky’s, 6507 E. Central in Wichita — Six violations on Jan. 7 during a routine inspection. The time that pre-made pizzas were left out at room temperature was not recorded, leaky pipe, leaky and corrosive equipment for soda fountain carbonator machine, dirty food probe thermometer, missing procedures for leaving pizza out at room temperature, water at three-compartment sink was not warm enough. Next inspection: Jan. 17.
Scooter’s Coffee, 3123 N. Rock Road in Wichita — One violation on Jan. 7 during a routine inspection. Quaternary ammonium test strips are water damaged and unable to measure concentration of sanitizer. Next inspection: Jan. 17.
Serendibz, 3700 N. Woodlawn, Suite 106 in Wichita — Seven violations on Jan. 6 during a complaint inspection. No food establishment license posted, unlabeled sanitizer bottle, employee seen trying to peel stickers off of eggplant after it had been washed, cabbage was not kept cold enough, no quaternary sanitizer test strips, no written plan to clean up vomit or diarrhea, cooked potatoes and chicken were not kept warm enough. Next inspection: Jan. 16.
Texas Roadhouse, 6707 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Three violations on Jan. 8 during a modified complaint inspection. Employee touched raw shrimp then began plating ready-to-eat rice without washing hands, employee drank from cup then changed gloves without washing hands and began to handle clean plates, employee held walkie talkie then touched ready-to-eat foods without changing gloves or washing hands. Next inspection: Jan. 18.
Wendy’s, 160 S. Rock Road in Wichita — Two violations on Jan. 7 during a routine inspection. Milk was not kept cold enough, unlabeled containers of sanitizer. Next inspection: Jan. 17.
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.
