Wichita inspections: Rodent droppings, taped freezer lid, broken coolers, holes in wall
Ten businesses in the Wichita area including restaurants, cocktail bars, a music hall, a food vendor at the county zoo, a brewery and a smoke shop were out of compliance after their Kansas Department of Agriculture food and lodging safety inspections May 15-21, a check of reports for Sedgwick County shows.
Information about the businesses and violations, compiled May 27, 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.
Business owners who want to clarify or comment on inspection results that appear in the list can contact Eagle reporter Amy Renee Leiker at 316-268-6644 or aleiker@wichitaeagle.com. Comments will be added to online stories.
More than 50 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:
54 West Music Hall, 4600 W. Kellogg Dr. in Wichita — Two violations on May 17 for not having equipment to test the strength of sanitizer in a dishwasher and for not having a hand-washing sink in the bar area where all food and drink is served. Next inspection: June 17.
Broadway Burgers and BBQ, 1659 S. Broadway in Wichita — Seven violations on May 17 for employee using bare hands to touch food that was ready to serve to a customer, food in cooler including chicken and brisket weren’t kept cold enough, cooked mushrooms and barbecue sauce weren’t labeled with preparation or opening dates, the restaurant doesn’t have enough working coolers in building, no sanitizer in dishwasher, plumbing issue, no soap at bathroom sink. Employees told the inspector that the coolers were probably not working properly because there isn’t air conditioning in the building. The business was ordered to close until it had corrected violations, its report shows. It passed its follow-up inspection on May 24 and reopened.
El Puerto Seafood & Chicken, 808 W. 25th St. N. in Wichita — Fifteen violations on May 19 for moldy strawberries, thawing fish improperly, food not labeled in English, raw bacon stored above tortillas in cooler, employee cut fish on cutting board used to prepare drinks, hot foods weren’t kept warm enough, containers of carnitas and other foods not marked with opening or preparation dates, old pork skins and pork stomach, sweets and wheat pinwheels not labeled with allergen information, bread rolls stored in containers that aren’t food grade, no food thermometer for measuring cold temperatures, no equipment to test strength of sanitizer in dishwasher, not sanitizing dishes properly, plumbing issue, rodent droppings in bathroom and under sink, business used wrong type of bleach for sanitizing dishes. Next inspection: May 29.
Peerless, 919 E. Douglas Ave. in Wichita — Four violations on May 18 for containers of whipped cream and hot dogs not labeled with opening dates, no thermometer on site, no equipment for testing strength of sanitizer, business operated after its food license expired. Next inspection: May 28.
Plaza Beastro at the Sedgwick County Zoo, 5555 W. Zoo Blvd. in Wichita — Eleven violations on May 18 for storing raw hamburgers above a drawer of ready-to-eat hot dogs, refrigerated foods including cucumber salad and cheese sauce weren’t kept cold enough, packaged snacks weren’t labeled with ingredients or other pertinent information, popcorn stored in bag that wasn’t food grade, problem with dishwasher, broken knob on hand-washing sink, no soap or paper towels at hand-washing sink. Next inspection: May 28.
Revolution Lounge, 233 N. Mosley in Wichita — Two violations on May 21 for not having hot water or paper towels at a hand-washing sink. Next inspection: July 21.
Spangles, 3433 N. Rock Rd. in Wichita — One violation on May 17 for not keeping refrigerated foods including cheese and chicken tenders cold enough in the cooler. Next inspection: July 17.
Third Place Brewing, 630 E. Douglas in Wichita — Inspected as both a food establishment and a food processor on May 18. Four violations total including holes in walls and floors that can contribute to pest problems, rodent droppings “too numerous to count” scattered throughout including in cooler and brewery room, floor in walk-in cooler had a hole in it from being chewed and shredded by pests. The inspector also noted that the “lack of cleanliness and repairs in the cooler are contributing to an active pest problem.” Next inspection: May 28.
TNT Mini Mart, 2523 E. Harry in Wichita — Three violations on May 18 for not labeling individual packages of oatmeal with allergen or ingredient information, no hot water in building, no paper towels at bathroom sink. Next inspection: May 28.
Villar’s Mexican Cafe, 1860 S. Hillside in Wichita — Ten violations on May 18 for storing raw eggs over a package of bread in cooler, beans and rice weren’t kept hot enough, refrigerated foods including chile verde and chili weren’t kept cold enough, salsa wasn’t kept cold enough, packages of pork monterey and gallon of milk weren’t labeled with preparation dates, no consumer advisory warning of the risk of eating undercooked eggs, broken freezer lid was held together with tape, food thermometers didn’t work right, no sanitizer in dishwasher. Next inspection: May 28.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
