Cockroaches, old food, no hot water at sinks at Wichita KS restaurants, school
Cockroaches, old food, raw meat stored over produce, pans washed without sanitizer, no hot water at hand-washing sinks 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, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations Feb. 15-21.
Inspectors found few or no violations that week at 69 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, they’re corrected in front of an inspector. Examples of things that can be addressed immediately include 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. 24 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
Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, 320 S. Ridge Road in Wichita — One violation on Feb. 18 during a follow-up inspection. Cooked chicken was not kept hot enough in a malfunctioning hot-holding unit. Next inspection: Feb. 28.
Deano’s on Pier 37, 7337 W. 37th St. North in Wichita — Three violations on Feb. 18 during a routine inspection. Sanitizer wasn’t primed in the dish machine, buttermilk and egg batter was not kept cold enough, cooked pasta and pizza toppings were not kept cold enough, old coleslaw sauce. Next inspection: Feb. 28.
Mi Super Mercado Baratisimo, 1989 N. Amidon in Wichita — Four violations on Feb. 16 during a licensing-operational inspection. Raw eggs and raw chicken were stored on top of ready-to-eat produce, cheeses were not kept cold enough, no batteries in paper towel dispenser in meat cutting room, meat storage pans weren’t being sanitized. Next inspection: Feb. 26.
Slim Chickens, 2313 N. Greenwich in Wichita — Six violations on Feb. 20 during a routine inspection. Employee washed hands at a sink that has no hot water, gravy was not kept hot enough, raw chicken was not kept cold enough, soda fountain dual check valves are leaking or corroded or have dark sludge on them, employees are using greasy pliers to turn a hand-washing sink off and on, no hot water at hand-washing sink in ware washing area. Next inspection: April 18.
Wichita Northeast Magnet High School, 5550 N. Lycee in Wichita — One violation on Feb. 20 during a routine inspection. Three live roaches under the cold bar. Next inspection: March 2.
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.
