Restaurant inspections: Sticky fly traps over grill, workers didn’t wash up in Wichita
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.
Two Mexican restaurants, a Korean grill, a diner and an Asian grocery store are the latest Sedgwick County businesses to fail their Kansas Department of Agriculture food and lodging safety inspections last week. Violations that led to them falling out of compliance with state expectations include employees not washing hands after touching raw meat and foods lacking ingredient labels, according to a check of inspection reports from April 11-17.
One restaurant had sticky fly traps hanging over its kitchen grill and make line.
A list of the five non-compliant businesses, compiled April 19, appears 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.
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 food-borne illnesses, or problems that can’t be corrected right away, such as plumbing issues and pest infestations.
More than 30 businesses surveyed over the past two weeks 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:
Country Kitchen, 915 E. 53rd St. North in Wichita — Two violations for employee not washing hands, no hand-drying supplies at sink
Felipe’s Jr. Mexican Restaurant, 9718 E. Harry in Wichita — Eleven violations for employee not washing hands after touching raw meat, unsafe food storage, salsa and beans at unsafe temperatures, beef and cheeses at unsafe temperatures, dried peppers stored in non-food-grade containers, dirty and damaged cooking equipment, unlabeled chemical bottles, cleaner stored by cocktail mixes
GangNam Korean BBQ & Sushi Bar, 210 N. Washington in Wichita — Two violations for employees not washing hands before touching food, rice kept at unsafe temperature
Kim Son Asian Food Market, 960 E. Pawnee in Wichita — Ten violations for not maintaining sale/serving dates on shellstock tags and for not maintaining them for 90 days, improper food storage, customers self-serve raw fish, bap ham and mung bean paste stored at unsafe temperatures, cooked pork blood and fish sauce not dated accurately, fish sauce and pickled produce not labeled with all ingredients, bulk bread not properly labeled, dirty food slicer
La Hacienda Tacos & Tequila, 5905 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Six violations for beef stored at unsafe temperature, dirty dishes, hand-washing sink blocked by table, sticky fly strips hanging over kitchen grill and make line, back door propped open which increases risk of pest infestation, “10 small flying insects” in dry storage and food preparation areas
This story was originally published April 21, 2021 at 4:43 AM.
