Mouse poop on food boxes, hair in sour cream. Who failed Wichita health inspections?
Mouse poop on boxes of food and drinks, hair in sour cream, chicken stored in a trash bag, bugs in liquor bottles, dirty and broken equipment, food stored on the floor, employees who didn’t wash their hands after handling raw meat 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. Ten restaurants and other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations April 19-25.
Inspectors found few or no violations that week at more than 60 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 April 30 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
A Gushto Papa, 100 N. Broadway in Wichita — Two violations on April 23 during a licensing-operational inspection. No thermometer available, no test strips available for chlorine sanitizer. Next inspection: May 3.
Dave & Buster’s, 2644 N. Greenwich Court in Wichita — Four violations on April 22 during a routine inspection. Employee touched raw chicken without washing hands after being on phone, dead insects in bottles of liquor, water in employee restroom was not hot enough, dual check valve for soda fountain machine is corrosive or leaking or has dark sludge. Next inspection: May 2.
Dollar Tree, 2404 S. George Washington Blvd. in Wichita — Four violations on April 21 during a follow-up inspection. Food and beverage packages were stored directly on floor, holes in ceiling throughout store are letting rodents in, half-inch gap on back delivery door is allowing entry of rodents, fresh mouse droppings on top of boxes of food and beverages. Next inspection: June 19.
El Ricardo’s Mexican Food, 503 N. West St. in Wichita — Twelve violations on April 24 during a routine inspection. No written plan for cleaning up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, hair in five-gallon tub of sour cream, meats and other foods including cheese and vegetables were not kept cold enough, chicken and chorizo were not labeled with their preparation dates, rolled tacos and tres leches cakes were not labeled with their preparation dates, tamales weren’t labeled with the date they were removed from the freezer, there was no consumer advisory warning of the risks of eating raw or undercooked eggs, broken and damaged rubber spatulas, water at three-vat sink was not hot enough, dirty knives stored with clean knives, no soap at hand-washing sink, no paper towels at hand-washing sink, bottle of degreaser wasn’t labeled. Next inspection: May 4.
Firehouse Subs, 2413 N. Greenwich, Suite 103 in Wichita — One violation on April 24 during a routine inspection. Dual check valve for soda fountain machine is leaking and has dark sludge on it. Next inspection: May 4.
Sandbox at Derby (listed under GHC Derby Sandbox Operator), 2412 N. Rock Road in Derby — Twelve violations on April 23 during a complaint inspection. No written plan for cleaning up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, dead bugs in liquor bottles, raw chicken stored above raw beef, employee handled raw hamburger patties then touched ready-to-eat buns without removing gloves and washing hands, employee handled raw chicken then washed gloves instead of changing them, several foods including vegetables and queso were not kept hot enough, multiple foods including cabbage and tomatoes were not kept cold enough, package of corn wasn’t labeled with the date it was opened, water-and-flour mix wasn’t labeled with the time it was prepared, dirty dicer, dirty food probe thermometers, no soap at hand-washing sink, no paper towels at bar hand-washing sink. Next inspection: May 3.
Kentucky Fried Chicken, 1251 S. Woodlawn in Wichita — Three violations on April 23 during a modified complaint inspection. No written plan for cleaning up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, cooked chicken wasn’t labeled with the time it was removed from heat or refrigeration, dirty food probe thermometer. Next inspection: May 3.
Kusina Ni Cheska (mobile vendor/food truck), 656 S. Estelle in Wichita — Two violations on April 19 during a routine inspection. Employee touched face with gloved hands then used tongs to handle noodles, multiple foods including shrimp and chicken were not kept cold enough. Next inspection: April 29.
Noble House Hawaiian Restaurant, 100 N. Broadway, Suite 225 — Six violations on April 23 during a licensing-operational inspection. Cooked pork and cooked vegetables were not labeled with their preparation dates, there was no consumer advisory warning about the risks of consuming raw fish, raw chicken was stored in a black trash bag instead of food-grade containers, no food thermometer available, no sanitizer test strips available, restaurant has been operating without a license since November 2025. Next inspection: May 3.
Super East Buffet, 7607 E. Douglas in Wichita — Two violations on April 22 during a follow-up inspection. Multiple foods on the salad bar were not kept cold enough, the restaurant said sushi rice was made at 10:30 a.m. when it was actually made at 12:30 p.m. Next inspection: June 22.
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.
