Cockroaches in ice machine, wok among November restaurant violations
A cockroach infestation that got so bad dozens of bugs were in a restaurant’s ice machine and crawling out of a wok were among problems found during Wichita-area food safety inspections in November.
Every month The Eagle curates a searchable database of non-compliant inspections from Sedgwick County. Last month, 40 Wichita-area restaurants and other businesses that serve food or rent rooms made that list.
Inspectors found few or no violations at more than 200 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 old food, pests and mishandling food.
Here is the list of non-compliant Sedgwick County businesses. For more on the violations, search The Eagle’s database. You can complain about conditions by emailing kda.fsl@ks.gov or calling 785-564-6767.
Afton Motel, 855 S. Broadway in Wichita — Two violations for broken emergency lights and having no exit signs in rooms
Alejandro’s Fast Mexican Food, 1212 S. Rock Rd. in Wichita — Eleven violations including cakes and donuts with no allergen information, employee touched prepared food with bare hands, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, food touching non-food grade containers, no paper towels at sinks, storing residential insecticide
The Anchor, 1109 E. Douglas in Wichita — Thirteen violations including employee not washing hands, foods not labeled with opening or preparation dates, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, expired food, no approved variance for bacon curing or sous vide cooking, no variance for pickling, ice cream bars have no allergen information, no sanitizer testing kit or thin-probe thermometer
Berneal’s Carryout, 2403 E. 13th St. N. in Wichita — Six violations for employee not wearing gloves to handle prepared food, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperature, no food thermometer, thawing chicken in wrong sink, storing residential-use insecticide
Brint’s Diner, 4834 E. Lincoln in Wichita — No violations listed or report immediately available on the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s website
Buckner Elementary, 3530 E. 27th St. N. in Wichita — Three violations during two inspections for not having hot-enough water
Central Standard Brewing, 156 S. Greenwood in Wichita — No violations listed or report immediately available on the Kansas Department of Agriculture website
China Inn, 4605 E. Central in Wichita — Ten violations for improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, food not labeled with opening or preparation dates, sink water not hot enough, cup stored in hand washing sink
Country Cafe, 2804 S. Seneca in Wichita — Seven violations including thawing fish improperly, food at unsafe temperatures, old sausage and cheese, old ranch and salsa, no sanitizer in dishwasher, bleach stored over coffee carafes
Dairy Queen and Orange Julius inside Towne East Square, 7700 E. Kellogg Dr. in Wichita — Two violations for having food at unsafe temperatures and roaches
Dollar General Store #12533, 2020 E. 21st St. N. in Wichita — Five violations during two inspections for having milk at unsafe temperatures, no hot water in restrooms or at other hand washing sinks, chemicals stored over cups
Dollar Tree #6676, 4830 E. Lincoln in Wichita — Four violations for not having hot-enough water in women’s restroom, men’s restroom didn’t work, no toilet paper in restroom, roaches, mice, storing chemicals by napkins and plates
El Patron Restaurant, 4600 W. Kellogg Dr. in Wichita — Five violations including salsa at unsafe temperature, cilantro stored in grocery sack, no food thermometer or sanitizer testing strips, no paper towels at sinks
El Pueblo, 100 W. 21st St. N. in Wichita — Two violations for not having a sanitizer testing kit, mice
El Rancho Motel, 4510 S. Broadway in Wichita — Three violations including cups stored by toilets, cigarette burns on comforters, bed bugs
El Tarasco Supermarket, 808 S. Woodlawn in Wichita — Sixteen violations including fruit flies on baked goods, moldy produce, food at unsafe temperatures, food not marked with opening or preparation dates, improper food storage, mold-covered food in coolers, dirty equipment, no soap or hand drying supplies at sinks, rodent feces throughout store, unlabeled chemicals
El Vaquero Mexican Grill, 1320 E. Central in Wichita — Fourteen violations during two inspections including tamales made by person who doesn’t have a food license, employee handling food without gloves, food at unsafe temperatures, food thermometer didn’t work correctly, no paper towels at sink, unlabeled chemicals, employee not washing hands
Five Guys Burgers and Fries, 2929 N. Rock Rd. in Wichita — Two violations for employee not washing hands, water not hot enough in men’s restroom
Gerardo’s Restaurant, 2801 W. Central in Wichita — Thirteen violations during two inspections including employee not wearing gloves to prepare food, improper food storage, food not labeled with opening or preparation date, no consumer advisory about risk of under-cooked food posted, fish touching T-shirt bag, no food thermometer on site, no sanitizer testing strips, no hand washing supplies, roaches, old porks skins with green chili
Holiday Inn Express and Suites, 10750 W. Hampton Lakes St. in Maize — Twelve violations including pink and brown buildup in ice machine, no “No Lifeguard On Duty” sign in pool, problems with hot tub PH levels, no maintenance and PH logs for hot tub, no record of CO and smoke detector testing, no sign at desk saying hotel accepts pets, coffee lids not packaged
Jimmie’s Diner #2, 1519 S. George Washington Blvd. in Wichita — Thirteen violations including dented food can, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, old food, cracked food container, dirty equipment, chemicals stored by food preparation equipment and cups, residential-grade insecticide stored at restaurant
Kwik Shop #727, 7107 W. 37th St. N. in Wichita — Eight violations including improper food storage, old sausage and French toast sticks, old cheese and chicken, not sanitizing dishes long enough, plumbing issue, chemicals stored over gloves and storage bags
Lowe’s Home Improvement #1547, 11959 E. Kellogg Dr. in Wichita — One violation for not having hot-enough water in restrooms
Motel 6, 1075 Hopalong Cassidy Cr. in Park City — Three violations for not keeping pool disinfectant and PH level logs, bed bugs
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant #1707, 2641 N. Maize in Wichita — Eleven violations including not marking opening or preparation dates on food, improperly thawing fish, food at unsafe temperatures, broken food containers, not washing pasta spoon often enough, no hand washing supplies at sinks, chemicals stored by food and food preparation equipment
Passage to India, 6100 E. 21st St. N. in Wichita — Eleven violations including employee not washing hands, employee touching prepared food with bare hands, food at unsafe temperatures, food not labeled with opening or preparation dates, food stored in non-food-grade containers, dirty equipment, no sanitizer in dishwasher, no hand drying supplies
Qdoba Mexican Eats, 430 N. Rock Rd. in Wichita — One violation for roaches
Rancho Nuevo Mexican Restaurant, 2330 N. Maize in Wichita — Ten violations including employee touching prepared food with bare hands, food at unsafe temperatures, food with no opening or preparation date labels, mislabeled food, expired chili verde and chili Colorado, broken and dirty equipment, chemicals stored by food and silverware, storing insecticide that’s not for restaurant use
Reflection Ridge Retirement Community, 2300 N. Tyler in Wichita — Four violations including not wrapping or using sneeze guards to protect food from contamination, butter left out too long, no allergen information on sandwiches and other foods, food stored by chemicals
Ricos Elotes y Mas #2 inside Towne East Square, 7700 E. Kellogg Dr. in Wichita — Six violations for cooking meat off site, thawing meat in wrong sink, food at unsafe temperatures, dishes not sanitized, hose in hand washing sink
Spangles #9, 612 N. Tyler in Wichita — Seven violations for roaches, food at unsafe temperatures, improperly marked food, broken or damaged utensils and food storage equipment, dirty can opener and containers, one container “stored as clean had a human hair in the bottom,” missing documentation
Super Express, 2849 W. 13th St. N. in Wichita — Two violations for food in cooler not kept cold enough, business not using sanitizer to clearn beverage machine parts and other food serving utensils
Tacos Lopez, 795 N. West St. in Wichita — Two violations for improper food storage and having French fries at an unsafe temperature
Todd Brian’s Brick Street Cafe, 315 N. Mead in Wichita — Three violations for employee preparing food with bare hands, old red beans and rice and meatloaf sauce, plumbing issue
Tuta’s Teriyaki, 929 N. Broadway in Wichita — Twelve violations during two inspections for a roach infestation, improper food storage, employee not washing hands, storing raw meat in “Thank you” bags, dirty equipment and not having hand washing supplies. An inspector saw 17 dead roaches and mold inside the restaurant’s ice machine and live roaches in its wok, in a bag of rice, in the water for the ice machine, on the floor, crawling on storage containers and in other locations during its first inspection. At the second, the inspector “49 live roaches” including around a computer, electrical box, on food preparation or storage items, ice machine and on a wall. The restaurant was also cited for not shutting down over the roach infestation
Two Brothers BBQ, 6730 W. Central in Wichita — Nine violations including dented cans, improper food storage, old chili, broken and dirty equipment, old filters in ice machine, chemicals stored by food products
Urban Air Trampoline Park, 8545 W. Irving in Wichita — Two violations for hot dogs stored at unsafe temperature, no sanitizer testing strips for dishwasher
Villar’s Mexico Cafe, 1860 S. Hillside in Wichita — Nine violations including employee not washing hands, employee touching prepared food with bare hands, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperature, no preparation or opening date on food, broken and cracked equipment, dirty equipment
Wilson’s Chicken and Fixens, 1748 N. Popular in Wichita — Five violations including “30-40 live small bugs inside the corn meal bag,” food at unsafe temperatures, lid in hand washing sink, no soap at kitchen and men’s restroom sinks
Yoder Meats, 798 N. West St. in Wichita — Five violations for old meat and cheese, curing foods without a variance, unlabeled foods, not checking cooler and freezer temperatures often enough
