Mice in private school kitchen, sewage pool by chicken fryer among October violations
Mice in a private school’s kitchen and two restaurants that kept serving customers instead of shutting down to fix sewage backup problems are among violations Kansas Department of Agriculture inspectors discovered during local food safety inspections in October.
Every month The Eagle curates a searchable database of non-compliant inspections from Sedgwick County. Last month, 42 Wichita-area restaurants and other businesses that serve food or rent rooms to the public made that list.
Inspectors found few or no violations at around 275 others deemed compliant with food safety and lodging rules.
Violations are common. Most businesses immediately correct issues that could cause a public health risk such as food-borne illness.
Businesses fall out of compliance when they have certain numbers or types of violations or issues that can’t be fixed right away. Examples include plumbing problems, serving food that’s more than a week old, pest infestations and employees mishandling food.
The list of Sedgwick County businesses deemed non-compliant is below. For details of the violations, search The Eagle’s database. Complain about conditions by emailing kda.fsl@ks.gov or calling 785-564-6767.
AJ’s Sports Grill, 11413 E. 13th St. N. in Wichita — Eight violations including improper food storage, chili and pizza-making ingredients at unsafe temperatures, old Alfredo sauce and re-fried beans, food thermometer did not work, dirty dishes and equipment, chemicals with no labels
American Gas Grocery and Smoke, 1601 S. Hydraulic in Wichita — Three violations for not having soap at the sink, no paper towels in employee bathroom or sink, cockroaches around microwave and in storage room
The Anchor, 1109 E. Douglas in Wichita — Fourteen violations including food not marked with opening or preparation dates, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures that had to be thrown out, wrong dates on packages of cold cuts, curing egg yolks and bacon and using sous-vide cooking (low-temperature water bath) methods without having a variance to do so, not having a thin food thermometer or sanitizer testing strips, water at kitchen sink wasn’t hot enough, and keeping foods that were too old to serve safely including dressings, feta cheese, au jus sauce, half-and-half and pickles
Angela’s Cafe and Cantina, 2119 W. 21st St. N. in Wichita — Nine violations including employee not washing hands, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, food stored not marked with preparation or opening date, no hot water at kitchen sinks or in women’s restroom, cockroaches “on top of the steam table, crawling around the edge of one of the empty pans,” insecticide labeled for home use stored at restaurant
Asian Bistro, 1520 S. Webb in Wichita — Twenty violations during two inspections including improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, no preparation or opening date marked on foods, old food, food touching non-food grade containers or materials, broken food thermometer, dirty dishes, “bulk container of uncooked rice that had an infestation of beetles,” beetles in flour bag and in dried rice paper, rodents
Botanica Kitchen, 701 Amidon in Wichita — Two violations for not having a food thermometer or a sanitizer test kit
Comfort Suites, 7515 W. Taft in Wichita — Six violations including black mold in breakfast dining room and on first- and third-floor ice machines, no smoke alarms in pool pump or electrical rooms, black mold behind wallpaper, “wet liquid running down walls,” black bold on tub sealants, “large brown stain” on box spring
Dillons Store #96, 5500 E. Harry in Wichita — Three violations for flies on deli slicer, no paper towels at Chinese kitchen hand-washing sink, flies in Chinese kitchen and deli department
El Doggo Express, 107 W. 21st St. N. in Wichita — Thirteen violations during two inspections, including employees not washing hands, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperature, no food thermometer or sanitizer testing kit, not sanitizing cooking utensils, no soap for hand washing, unlabeled chemicals, no hot water at hand-washing sink
El Fogon, 1555 S. Bluffview Dr. in Wichita — Four violations including storing food at unsafe temperatures, food touching non-food grade containers or materials, pork stored in thank-you bags, rodent droppings on front counter across ice machine
El Guero, 524 W. 21st St. N. in Wichita — Twelve violations including improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, dirty equipment, no hand-washing sink where carnitas are cooked, items blocking kitchen hand-washing sink, no soap or paper towels for hand washing, oil stored in Windex bottle, household ant and roach spray stored in kitchen
El Rancho Motel, 4510 S. Broadway in Wichita — One violation for bed bugs. The motel refused to let the department of agriculture inspect the room where the infestation was reported
Emperor’s Japanese Grill, 2250 N. Ridge Rd. in Wichita — Seven violations including employee not wearing gloves to handles prepared food, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, whole green peppers stored in T-shirt carryout bags, wrong sanitizer fluid concentration
Fastrip Mulvane LLC, 1228 S.E. Louis Dr. in Mulvane — Two violations for not having a food thermometer to check breakfast sandwiches and for not labeling chemicals
Gorditas Durango Mexican and American Grill, 527 W. 13th St. N. in Wichita — Five violations for having food at unsafe temperatures and not having soap at the kitchen sink
Goyo’s Mexican Fast Food, 5355 N. Broadway in Park City — Seven violations including improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, dried chile peppers stored in non-food grade containers, bread rolls and cooked poblano peppers stored in T-shirt bag, no hand-washing supplies in kitchen
The Independent School, 8317 E. Douglas in Wichita — Two violations for mice and for not labeling chemicals. About 100 rodent droppings were found on the kitchen floor, storage area and in bottom cabinets
Huang China King, 4100 E. Harry in Wichita — Fourteen violations during two inspections including food at unsafe temperatures, vegetables and meats stored in non-food grade containers, uncooked rice kept in trash bag, no food thermometer on site, restaurant didn’t sanitize dishes, no soap at hand-washing sink, rodent feces on kitchen floor, improper food storage, no preparation or opening dates marked on food
Jack’s North Hi Carryout, 603 W. 13th St. N. in Wichita — Four violations for improper food storage, having food at unsafe temperatures, not marking the opening date on a half-gallon of milk, not having a food thermometer that reads below 50 degrees Fahrenheit
Krispy Krunchy Chicken, 1302 N. Broadway in Wichita — Two violations for not reporting or closing down during a sewage backup. Sewage was pooling on the kitchen floor next to a fryer, at the walk-in cooler floor drain and in the dining area
Kwik Shop #790, 3750 N. Maize in Wichita — Two violations for selling foods that aren’t stored at safe temperatures
Lamar’s Donuts, 10051 W. 21st St. N. in Wichita — Two violations for having dirty equipment and bees in the kitchen
La Tienda Del Sur, 3100 E. 31st St. S. in Wichita — Nine violations including “an open bag of chocolate sprinkles with approximately 6 live moth-type insects crawling in the sprinkles,” improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, food stored with no preparation date, old potatoes, bread dough stored in trash bags, dirty equipment, no soap in bathroom
La Tradicion Tortilleria, 1701 N. Broadway in Wichita — Deemed out of compliance but no violations were listed or available for view on Kansas Department of Agriculture website
Long John Silvers, 2616 N. Maize in Wichita — Seven violations including employees not washing hands, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, dirty equipment or dishes, no paper towels at hand-washing sink, mislabeled chemicals
Meddys, 7906 E. Harry in Wichita — Nine violations including employee not washing hands, food at unsafe temperatures, dirty equipment, “sewage grey water backed up to the floor” in kitchen, no hand-washing supplies at kitchen sink, chemicals not labeled, restaurant didn’t close down to clean up and sanitize floor after sewage back up
Mexico Viejo Mexican Restaurant, 6960 W. 21st St. N. in Wichita — Five violations including employee not washing hands, food at unsafe temperatures, food not marked with preparation or opening date, chemicals not labeled
Molino’s Mexican Cuisine, 1064 N. Waco in Wichita — Seventeen violations including employee not properly washing or drying hands before handling customer foods and dishes, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, old food including cream sauce and carnitas, no consumer advisory posted about risk of eating undercooked eggs, dirty and broken equipment, food thermometer not working, water not hot enough at kitchen sink, sanitizer container for dishwasher was empty
New Paradise, 1648 S. Rock Rd. in Wichita — Twelve violations including employee not washing hands properly, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, food stored without preparation or opening date marked on container, no soap or paper towels in dishwasher room, red beetles crawling in bags of salt and sugar, “approximately 15 fruit flies” buzzing around
N & J Cafe and Bakery, 5600 E. Lincoln in Wichita — Seven violations including food at unsafe temperatures, food stored without a preparation or opening date, pita bread stored in thank you bags instead of food-grade containers, sanitizer test kit not working, dishes not sanitized, chemicals not labeled
Papa Murphy’s, 2712 S. Seneca in Wichita — Two violations for equipment that doesn’t work property and chemicals stored by food containers
Pho Le’s Noodles and Sandwiches, 6540 E. Central Ave. in Wichita — Three violations including employee assembling sandwich with bare hands, employee not washing hands, food at unsafe temperature
QuikTrip #389, 4730 E. Central in Wichita — Four violations for having flies on food preparation surfaces and equipment, water not hot enough in men’s bathroom, no paper towels at sink
Red Roof Inn - Wichita East, 7335 E. Kellogg Dr. in Wichita — Two violations for having food at unsafe temperatures and for not labeling chemicals
Riverside Cafe of Derby, 824 N. Baltimore in Derby — Six violations including improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, old ham, broken equipment that wasn’t immediately fixed, no soap at kitchen sink
Seneca Store (also Phillips 66 or Johnson’s Store), 1003 S. Seneca in Wichita — Five violations during two inspections including employee not washing hands before preparing food, no sanitizer testing strips, not having a hand-washing sink in the food preparation area, storing plates and napkins beside motor oil
Starbucks, 401 E. Douglas in Wichita — Three violations for not having sanitizer testing strips or hot water at restaurant sinks or in restrooms
Super Express Convenience Store, 2849 W. 13th St. N. in Wichita — Five violations including sandwiches and other foods for sale that weren’t kept at safe temperatures, sanitizer test strips are “moldy and unusable,” hand-washing sink blocked by carts and boxes, no hand-washing supplies at sink, cockroaches
Tacos Lopez, 795 N. West St. in Wichita — Six violations including improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, salt and garlic stored in non-food grade containers, food thermometer not working properly, restaurant not sanitizing dishes
Thai Village, 2020 S. Rock Rd. in Wichita — Three violations for having food at unsafe temperatures
Todd Brian’s Brick Street Cafe, 315 N. Mead in Wichita — Ten violations including an employee who didn’t wash hands before handling customer food, queso and other foods stored without opening or preparation dates, dented tomato cans, food at unsafe temperatures, old queso and sauces that had to be thrown out, old corned beef and ham, nacho meat that was almost a month old, no food thermometer
Walmart #592, 2020 N. Nelson Dr. in Derby — Eight violations during two inspections including dented food cans for sale, food at unsafe temperatures, dishes in hand washing sink, chemicals stored by food containers and napkins, sanitizer bottle hanging over potatoes, cheesecakes not kept cold enough
