Bugs on clean dishes, employees didn’t wash hands at Wichita KS restaurants
Bugs on clean dishes, employees who didn’t wash their hands, food that wasn’t dated properly, meats that weren’t kept hot or cold enough 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 Jan. 18-24.
Inspectors found few or no violations that week at 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 Feb. 1 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
Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, 10096 E. 13th St., Suite 118 in Wichita — Four violations on Jan. 21 during a routine inspection. Raw chicken and grated pepper jack cheese were not kept cold enough, a cup that was used as a scoop was in direct contact with meatloaf sauce, several gnats or fruit flies touching clean dishes, two cans of Raid flying insect spray for residential use only was stored in office. Next inspection: Jan. 31.
It’s Greek To Me at Towne East Square, 7700 E. Kellogg Drive, Unit V0-1 in Wichita — Five violations on Jan. 22 during its first operational inspection after licensing. Several containers of tzatziki sauce were not date-marked and hummus container had incorrect date marking, hummus and feta cheese not kept cold enough, gyro meat not kept hot enough, employee fixed glasses then handed out samples without washing hands, no written plan for cleaning up vomit or diarrhea. Next inspection: Feb. 2.
Northeast Senior Center, 2121 E. 21st St. in Wichita — One violation on Jan. 22 during a routine inspection. Hand-washing sink in kitchen had no water pressure on either hot or cold side. Next inspection: Feb. 1.
Nortons Brewing Company, 125 N. St. Francis in Wichita — Four violations on Jan. 23 during a routine inspection. Water not hot enough in restrooms, a cook placed raw burgers on grill then touched spatulas without washing hands, no running water at kitchen hand-washing sink, spinach dip and fried onions were not kept hot enough. Next inspection: Feb. 2.
Texas Roadhouse, 6707 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Four violations on Jan. 21 during a follow-up inspection. Dedicated hand-washing sinks were used for other purposes including thawing strawberry puree and storing bags of seasoning, employee drank from cup then changed gloves and handled clean tongs without washing hands, employee touched hat with gloved hands then changed gloves and continued plating food without washing hands, no paper towels at hand-washing sink, employee touched cellphone with gloved hands then changed gloves and returned to the salad line without washing hands. Next inspection: March 21.
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.
