Wichita inspections: Old salsa, grease pool on floor, flies, bed bugs, dirty hands
Eighteen businesses, including several restaurants and hotels, two food trucks, a nursery and a nutrition store failed their Kansas Department of Agriculture food and lodging safety inspections from April 24-30, a check of reports for Sedgwick County shows.
Information about the businesses and violations, compiled May 6, appears below with a summary of the problems inspectors noted on their reports. More details, including specific violation descriptions, are posted in The Eagle’s searchable database of non-compliant restaurant and hotel inspections at www.kansas.com/databases.
More than 70 businesses surveyed during the same 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.
Failing an inspection doesn’t necessarily mean a business has to close; that’s rare. Most violations are minor and are immediately corrected on site in front of an inspector.
Businesses fall out of compliance with state rules when they have too many violations or certain types of problems that can increase the risk of a customer contracting a food-borne illness or when a problem can’t be fixed right away, such as plumbing issues and pest infestations.
When a business fails, it’s usually inspected again within 10 days.
To complain about conditions anywhere that serves or sells food to the public, email kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767.
Recent out-of-compliance inspections
Avivo Brick Oven Pizzeria, 2441 N. Maize Road in Wichita — Three violations on April 28 for not storing pizza-making ingredients at safe temperatures, dirty can opener and containers, storing insecticide that isn’t food grade. Next inspection: May 8.
Banh Mi to Go, 2528 S. Oliver in Wichita — Two violations on April 29 for thawing ham at room temperature, meats and pastries containing meat weren’t kept cold enough. Next inspection: May 9.
Crutch BBQ, 550 N. Rock Road in Wichita — Nine violations on April 28 for storing raw chicken on a case of romaine lettuce, raw eggs were stored on top of a pickle bucket, issue with chicken-cooking procedure, not labeling par-cooked chicken to distinguish it from foods that are fully cooked or otherwise ready to eat, desserts and dairy products not stored at safe temperatures, old salsa and pickled cabbage, cabbage pickling process wasn’t approved by the state to keep it longer than seven days, flies in kitchen because back door was propped open. Next inspection: May 8.
Great Wall, 2240 N. Rock Road in Wichita — Ten violations on April 25 for employee not washing hands with soap, employee washing hands at wrong sink, chicken was stored at room temperature, cooked pork and chicken wasn’t labeled with preparation date, egg rolls weren’t labeled with preparation date, battery was dead in probe-style food thermometer, dirty can opener and bowls, employee didn’t wash hands after touching raw pork, meat prepared in sink with a direct plumbing connection, no soap at hand-washing sink. The business passed its follow-up inspection on May 5.
Hampton Inn Wichita Northwest, 10047 W. 29th St. North in Wichita — Five violations on April 29 for not labeling gravy mix with package opening or preparation date, apples weren’t individually wrapped in plastic, breakfast foods weren’t kept at safe temperatures, no hot water in women’s bathroom. Next inspection: May 9.
HomeGoods, 2716 N. Greenwich in Wichita — One violation on April 25 for not having hot-enough water in the men’s and women’s bathrooms. The business passed its follow-up inspection on May 5.
Kentucky Fried Chicken, 6085 Aircap Drive in Park City — Four violations on April 25 for not having enough sanitizer in sanitizer bucket, greasy and dirty sinks, leaky valve on soda carbonator, pool of grease on floor under chicken fryer and along baseboards. The business passed its follow-up inspection on May 5.
Los Cocos Mexican Restaurant, 1257 N. Rock Road in Derby — Ten violations on April 26 for thawing fish improperly, storing raw chicken and eggs above ready-to-eat foods in cooler, raw shrimp touching raw vegetables, raw ground beef lying on top of tortillas, employee not washing hands after handling raw meat, food not stored at safe temperatures, pasta and flan wasn’t labeled with preparation dates, old sauces, no equipment to test strength of sanitizer, bar hand-washing sink wasn’t accessible, unlabeled chemicals. The results of the business’ scheduled May 6 inspection weren’t immediately available.
MainStay Suites Wichita Northeast, 3141 N. Webb Road in Wichita — Eight violations on April 28 for unlabeled chemicals, washing dishes in guest rooms, no sanitizer for exercise equipment in fitness room, no clean towels in fitness room, broken emergency lighting, no fire extinguisher or smoke detector in boiler room, no sign announcing that motel is pet friendly. Next inspection: May 8.
Papa Johns Pizza, 2530 S. Seneca in Wichita — Two violations on April 29 for not marking pizza sauce with discard time, missing documentation. Next inspection: June 29.
Red Roof Plus Wichita, 7335 E. Kellogg Dr. in Wichita — Two violations on April 28 for bed bugs and for not notifying the Kansas Department of Agriculture that it had received a complaint about the infestation. Next inspection: April 8, 2023.
Rico’s Tacos El Torito food truck, 1935 N. Broadway in Wichita — One violation on April 28 for not having a food-grade water hose. Next inspection: May 8.
Smokehouse ICT, 2800 E. Central in Wichita — One violation on April 29 over a plumbing issue. Next inspection: May 9.
Subway, 3301 E. Harry in Wichita — One violation on April 26 over a plumbing issue. The business passed its follow-up inspection on May 6.
Tree Top Nursery, 5910 E. 37th St. North in Wichita — Two violations on April 28 for not having hot-enough water at kitchen hand-washing sink, low water pressure at sink. Next inspection: May 8.
Undisputed Nutrition, 600 S. Tyler Road in Wichita — Three violations on April 26 for not labeling whipped topping containers with the dates they were opened, water didn’t get hot enough at women’s bathroom sink. The business passed its follow-up inspection on May 6.
Wendy’s, 2504 S. Seneca in Wichita — Six violations on April 26 for not labeling sandwich-making ingredients and cheeses with the time they were supposed to be trashed, garbage and food debris under grill and preparation table, plumbing issue, pans that hold sanitizer aren’t labeled, current food license wasn’t posted. The results of the business’ scheduled May 6 inspection weren’t immediately available.
Willie’s Wings food truck, 6315 E. Kellogg in Wichita — Four violations on April 29 for not having equipment to test strength of sanitizer on site, water at sink didn’t get hot enough, dirty fryers and cooler, no paper towels or hand drying supplies at kitchen hand-washing sink. Next inspection: May 9. The food truck’s owner, Willie Finley, told The Eagle he has never failed an inspection.
This story was originally published May 9, 2022 at 4:09 AM.
