Rodent poop, dead roaches, employee wiped nose at Wichita KS restaurants, hotels
An employee who touched a plate after wiping their nose, rodent poop, dead cockroaches in a kitchen, dirty equipment, filthy conditions, unlabeled chemical bottles, missing records, hand-washing issues 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. Twelve restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations Jan. 11-17.
Inspectors found few or no violations that week at more than 70 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. 21 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
7 Brew Coffee, 325 S. Ridge Road in Wichita — Four violations on Jan. 13 during a routine inspection. Probe thermometers were not accurate, two employees touched their hair and continued making drinks without washing hands, ice scoop handle was in direct contact with ice, employee dropped point of sale device on floor and continued making drinks without washing hands. Next inspection: Jan. 23.
Blue Hook Cajun Seafood & Bar, 2244 N. Webb in Wichita — Nine violations on Jan. 14 during a complaint inspection. Employee entered from outside and handled cellphone then worked with food without removing gloves and washing hands, no paper towels at bar hand-washing sink, sanitizer stored above season shakers and uncovered French fries, shell stock tags were not kept in chronological order, dirty food thermometer, shell stock tags did not have the last sale/serving date written on them, the time French fries were removed from refrigeration or heat wasn’t recorded, crawfish sauce wasn’t labeled with its preparation date, employee washed hands without soap. Next inspection: Jan. 24.
Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Wichita, 4875 S. Laura in Wichita — Seven violations on Jan. 12 during a routine inspection. Unlabeled spray bottle, rodent droppings on floor under three-compartment sink, milk and yogurts were not kept cold enough, no written plan to clean up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, apple wasn’t protected from contamination, milk was not labeled with the date it was opened, no paper towels at kitchen hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Jan. 22.
Everhome Suites Wichita Northeast, 8133 E. Thorn Drive in Wichita — Four violations on Jan. 12 during a licensing-operational inspection. Unlabeled chemical bottles, no smoke alarms in first-floor electric heating room or laundry room, no soap or paper towels at hand-washing sink in laundry room, no carbon monoxide detector in laundry room. Next inspection: Jan. 22.
Family Dollar, 1330 N. Oliver in Wichita — Two violations on Jan. 13 during a routine inspection. Three cans on retail shelves had no labels, water at bathroom and mop sinks was not hot enough. Next inspection: Jan. 23.
Gourmet Asian Market, 10939 E. Harry, Suite 109 in Wichita — Ten violations on Jan. 14 during a complaint inspection. Whole chickens and fish were thawing at room temperature, business was fermenting yogurt without approval, boxes of vegetables were on floor, business sells sticky rice at room temperature without required approval and without following proper procedures, several items for sale were not labeled or were labeled in Vietnamese only, no utensils or dispensing equipment for bulk baguettes, no written plan to clean up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, no paper towels at kitchen hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Jan. 24.
Hawaiian Bros Island Grill, 1360 N. Greenwich in Wichita — One violation on Jan. 16 during a modified complaint inspection. Honolulu chicken was not kept hot enough. Next inspection: Jan. 26.
SK Donuts, 1542 E. 61st St. North in Park City — Nine violations on Jan. 16 during a complaint inspection. Raw eggs on wire shelf were directly above tray of biscuits, restaurant was leaving breakfast sandwiches out at room temperature without approval, restaurant was not disposing of room temperature food after four hours and was instead putting it back in the refrigerator, no hand-washing sink in backroom, no paper towels at front kitchen hand-washing sink, spray bottles of clear liquid were not labeled, tray of kolaches was not labeled with the time they were left out at room temperature, no soap at front kitchen hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Feb. 15.
Sonic, 11375 E. 21st St. in Wichita — One violation on Jan. 14 during a routine inspection. American cheese, sliced tomatoes and lettuce were not kept cold enough. The restaurant was in compliance during a follow-up inspection on Jan. 15.
Teppanyaki Grill & Sushi Buffet, 6710 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita. Fifteen violations on Jan. 13 during a complaint inspection. Fryers and wok station had buildup of grease and black debris, employee touched face and hair then prepared food without washing hands, employee didn’t sanitize dishes correctly, dirty utensils, overall cleanliness needs improvement, cracked and dented colander, no soap at kitchen hand-washing sink, container of batter and container of red sauce were sitting on floor, box of insecticide in cabinet that isn’t rated for use in food establishments, no written plan to clean up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, containers of rolled sushi for an employee’s chickens were in a cooler, no hot water at sushi bar hand-washing sink, backflow prevention device at dish machine was broken, cracked and missing kitchen tile, dead cockroaches throughout kitchen. Next inspection: Jan. 23.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, 9730 E. 21st St., Suite 105 in Wichita — Three violations on Jan. 15 during a routine inspection. Moldy tomatoes, not enough sanitizer in three-compartment sink, no paper towels at hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Jan. 25.
Viva Tacos & Tequila, 9719 E. 21st St. in Wichita — Nine violations on Jan. 13 during its first operational inspection after licensing. No written plan to clean up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, raw shrimp ceviche stored above chicken taquitos, raw pastor beef stored above vegetables, raw eggs stored above tomatoes, raw chicken stored above raw seafood and meat, employee washed hands at wrong sink, moldy tomatoes, employee picked utensil off ground and wiped nose then touched clean plate without removing gloves and washing hands, sauces were not kept hot enough, dirty serving plates stored as clean, tamales and cabbage not kept cold enough. Next inspection: Jan. 23.
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.
