Food safety: Cockroaches, no hot water, old pasta salad at Wichita-area businesses
Editor’s note: The Eagle is updating its out-of-compliance inspection database weekly this year. However, because the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed inspections, there may be no related story some weeks. You can search the database at www.kansas.com/databases.
Six restaurants, two grocery stores, a motel, a religious organization and a smoothie and juice bar are the latest Sedgwick County businesses to fail their Kansas Department of Agriculture food and lodging safety inspections. Violations that led to them falling out of compliance with state expectations include having cockroaches, no hot water at sinks and storing raw meat over food that’s ready to serve to customers, risking contamination, according to a check of inspection reports.
Some of the Wichita-area businesses inspected March 14-27 were surveyed remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but many had health inspections on-site. The Eagle has a list of the 11 non-compliant businesses below along with a summary of the problems inspectors noted on their reports. You can read specifics about the violations by searching The Eagle’s non-compliant database at www.kansas.com/databases. This list was compiled March 31.
Inspection failures don’t necessarily mean business closures. Most violations are corrected on-site as an inspection happens, and follow-up visits usually occur within 10 days to ensure safe food-handling practices are observed. Businesses fall out of compliance when they have a certain number or type of problem that can lead to foodborne illnesses, or problems that can’t be corrected right away, such as plumbing issues and pest infestations.
More than 80 businesses surveyed during the time period passed their inspections with few or no violations. You can see those at www.foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.
To complain about conditions at a business, email kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767.
Recent out-of-compliance inspections:
Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant, 1413 N. Waterfront Pkwy. in Wichita — Eight violations for raw bacon stored over onions, food stored at unsafe temperatures including chicken and spinach dip, food not labeled with the time it is supposed to be thrown away, dirty equipment, dishes not properly sanitized, “no air gap or dual check valve with an intermediate vent supplied upstream from the carbonating device,” no soap at hand-washing sink
The Angry Elephant, 756 N. Tyler Rd. in Wichita — Three violations for employee not washing hands when changing gloves, no equipment on-site for testing strength of sanitizer, plumbing issue at mop sink
Days Inn Hotel, 550 S. Florence in Wichita — Four violations for water not getting hot enough at a sink, hot water was turned off because of a leak, sink missing from employee bathroom wall, sink in laundry area blocked by large wooden table
Emperor’s Japanese Grill, 320 N. Rock Rd. in Derby — Five violations for storing raw steak over a container of garlic sauce and eggs, chicken and sauce stored at unsafe temperatures, no supplies to test the concentration of sanitizer in dishwasher
Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, 6254 E. 37th St. N. in Wichita — Five violations for employee not washing hands after handling money, improper food storage, chicken and produce stored in containers that aren’t food grade, dirty food slicer
Green Acres Market, 8141 E. 21st St. N. in Wichita — Six violations for not marking carton of whipping cream with opening date, improper food storage, food at unsafe temperatures, no sanitizer in dish washer, cleaner stored over bucket of peanut butter
Islamic Society of Wichita, 6655 E. 34th St. N. in Wichita — Six violations for having gyros and mixed vegetables stored at unsafe temperatures, cabbage left sitting out at room temperature, raw chicken stored in take-out-style plastic bags instead of in food-safe containers, no hot water at kitchen hand-washing sink due to a burst pipe, no hot water in women’s bathroom, plumbing issue at mop sink
Little Firehouse Cafe, 120 N. Baltimore in Derby — Two violations for having a dirty and dusty fan in a washing area, “approximately ten juvenile cockroaches” on kitchen floors and in other areas
Viola Groceries, 26320 W. K-42 Hwy. in Viola — Four violations for not labeling coffee creamer with opening date, pizza and corn dogs at unsafe temperatures, wings and crispitos at unsafe temperatures, cheese and sausage not labeled with opening dates, no hot water in building
Wichita Nutrition, 3300 N. Rock Rd. in Wichita — One violation for not having hot water at a bathroom sink
YaYa’s Euro Bistro, 8115 E. 21st St. N. in Wichita — Twelve violations for old pasta salad, shellfish stored improperly and not labeled with serving date, employee handled cooked food with bare hands, food at unsafe temperatures, butter left out at room temperature all day, cracked and dirty containers, food not labeled with correct preparation date, employees using drain pan to wash hands because there was no sink in the bar area, no hand-drying supplies at kitchen or bar sinks, batteries dead in paper towel dispenser, cleaner stored over olive oil
This story was originally published April 6, 2021 at 2:42 PM.
