Expired licenses. Bugs. Bare hands on food. Wichita KS restaurant & hotel inspections

Amy Renee Leiker

Six businesses in Wichita were out of compliance during food safety and lodging inspections conducted by the Kansas Department of Agriculture last week.

They were cited for a number of violations including employees who handled food with their bare hands or didn’t wash their hands before putting on gloves, greasy build up in areas were food is prepared, a broken cooler and water heater, expired licenses, pastry display shelves that had no doors or other coverings to prevent contamination, roaches on bedding and on a bathroom wall, exposed wires and missing light bulbs, mold, meats that weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, blocked and non-working sinks and more, according to inspection reports.

Information about the food establishments and hotels, as well as a summary of their violations, appears below. The list includes inspections conducted in Sedgwick County from May 26 to June 1. The list was compiled on June 6.

At least 40 establishments passed inspections during that same time. A list of those also appears below. Some may have been non-compliant in previous weeks.

Some of the food businesses inspected were set up at Riverfest. Many of those have addresses listed on Century II Drive.

Business owners or managers can contact Eagle reporter Amy Renee Leiker at 316-268-6644 or aleiker@wichitaeagle.com to comment on inspection results that appear in this story. Comments will be added to the online version of this article.

More details about inspections are in The Eagle’s searchable database of non-compliant restaurant and hotel inspections at www.kansas.com/databases.

Out of compliance inspections

Chiang Mai Thai Restaurant, 3141 S. Hillside in Wichita — Eight violations on May 30 during an expired license inspection. The restaurant didn’t have any chlorine test strips to check the concentration of sanitizer in the dish washing machine, no probe thermometer to check food temperatures, an employee touched ready-to-eat tomatoes with her bare hands, items including soap and paper towels were sitting inside of a hand-washing sink in the kitchen, several employees put on gloves without first washing their hands, build up of grease along baseboards and floor junctions and on kitchen fans, bottles of chemicals were stored with their nozzles facing to-go sauces and cans of soda, build up of grease and food debris between the fryer and grill and on racks and walls inside a cooler. Next inspection: June 9.

Family Dollar, 1330 N. Oliver in Wichita — One violation on May 28 during a follow-up inspection. The store had no hot water because a new hot water heater hadn’t arrived yet. Next inspection: June 7.

Gorditas Rodeo, 3090 W. 13th St. in Wichita — Six violations on May 30 during an expired license inspection. The business didn’t have a consumer advisory posted warning customers about the risks of consuming undercooked eggs, the drain at a kitchen hand-washing sink was draining “very slowly” so employees were washing their hands in other sinks, pans of meats and beans weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, no probe food thermometer to check food temperatures, refrigerated eggs weren’t cold enough because a cooler wasn’t working. Next inspection: June 9.

Panaderia La Casa de Mi Abuela, 1510 W. 21st St. in Wichita — Two violations on May 31 during an expired license inspection. There was no soap at a hand-washing sink behind he counter, cabinets and display shelves filled with pastries had no doors or other forms of protection to shield the baked goods from contamination. Next inspection: June 10.

Scotsman Inn, 5922 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Twelve violations on May 31 during a complaint inspection. The motel didn’t have records showing its carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors are checked every six months, bedding in one room had burn holes in it, there were no emergency evacuation signs in at least seven rooms, an inspector saw roaches on bedding and on a bathroom wall in one room, the emergency light at the top of the central staircase of the motel didn’t work, wiring on a bathroom ventilation fan was exposed in one room, a bottle of all purpose cleaner wasn’t labeled, a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet in the bathroom of one room didn’t work, lights bulbs were missing from a hallway fixture, mold was growing on a damaged wall between a toilet and bathtub in one room, the motel has no emergency management plan available for employees to refer to in emergency situations. Next inspection: June 10.

Wichita Hookah Cafe, 6249 E. 21st St., Suite 124 in Wichita — Eight violations on May 29 during an expired license inspection. Chicken breasts and gyro meat weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, a hand-washing sink couldn’t be used because it was full of teapots, a hand-washing sink couldn’t be used because it was leaking, no soap at a hand-washing sink, there was no working hand-washing sink outside of the public bathrooms, the restaurant didn’t have a sanitizing sink set up or have test strips to measure the concentration of sanitizer, there was no probe thermometer to check food temperatures. Next inspection: June 8.

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How do businesses fail inspections?

Most violations are minor and are corrected during an inspection.

Businesses fall out of compliance when they have too many violations, issues that can cause a foodborne illness, when a problem can’t be fixed right away, such as bug and rodent infestations, and more. Typically, establishments are reinspected within 10 days.

It’s rare for a business to shut down over a failed inspection. But it can happen due to things like sewage backups, pest problems, and water or power outages. Usually, closures are temporary.

The lists in this story only include businesses from Sedgwick County. But you can search food and lodging inspection results anywhere in Kansas at https://foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.

Complaint? Here’s where to submit it

If you see problems at a food or lodging establishment, you can file a complaint.

To notify the state about unsavory or questionable conditions anywhere that serves or sells food to the public, email kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767. You can also file a complaint at www.foodsafetykansas.org.

To report an illness you think was caused by a restaurant, food or event, contact the Kansas Department of Health and Environment at 877-427-7317 or www.foodsafetykansas.org.

Complaints about conditions at hotels and motels can be submitted at www.agriculture.ks.gov/public-resources/comments-complaints/lodging-complaint.

For more information about foodborne illnesses, visit www.foodsafety.gov.

These businesses passed inspections last week

  • Aguas Frescas Laguna (mobile vendor/food truck), 1919 E. Lockwood in Wichita

  • Aldi, 2826 S. Seneca in Wichita

  • Asia Bazaar Grocery & Cafe, 6100 E. 21st St., Suite 300 in Wichita

  • Bingo Casino West, 540 N. West St. in Wichita

  • Brain Freeze, 604 E. Ross in Clearwater

  • Braum’s Ice Cream & Dairy Store, 2121 N. Ridge Road in Wichita

  • Chan’s Concessions, 123 Century II Drive in Wichita

  • Concert Crestview Bevco (pool house) at Crestview Country Club, 1000 N. 127th St. East in Wichita

  • Corner Market 133, 6115 N. Air Cap Drive in Park City

  • Dirty D’s, 1110 W. Harry in Wichita

  • Doc Green’s Gourmet Salads, 10096 E. 13th St., Suite 102 in Wichita

  • Emperor’s Japanese Grill, 7825 W. Maple in Wichita

  • Forge ICT, 917 E. Douglas in Wichita

  • Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, 10728 W. 21st St. in Wichita

  • Gabby’s Peruvian Restaurant & Catering, 1002 S. Seneca in Wichita

  • Heritage Inn of Wichita, 4539 S. Broadway in Wichita

  • Hoopingarner Concessions #2 (mobile vendor/food truck), 14035 Century II Drive in Wichita

  • Hoopingarner Funnel Cakes, 14035 Century II Drive in Wichita

  • Il Vicino Wood Oven Pizza, 4817 E. Douglas in Wichita

  • Kona Ice of NW Wichita (mobile vendor/food truck), 13629 W. Ponderosa Court in Wichita

  • Kona Ice of NW Wichita Truck #2 (mobile vendor/food truck), 13629 W. Ponderosa Court in Wichita

  • LH Ice Cream, 123 Century II Drive in Wichita

  • Made 2 Grill (tent), 10906 Century II Drive in Wichita

  • Meals On Wheels/Friendship Meals, 4808 W. Ninth St. in Wichita

  • Metta Lao Bubble Tea (mobile vendor/food truck), 2550 S. Greenwich in Wichita

  • Northwest Branch YMCA Concessions, 13838 W. 21st St. in Wichita

  • Ottaway Legacy Shows (mobile vendor/food truck), 4830 S. Oliver in Wichita

  • Pete’s Donut Shack (mobile vendor/food truck), 2326 S. St. Francis in Wichita

  • Pho Ong 8, 3801 E. Harry in Wichita

  • Piatto Neapolitan Pizzeria, 1706 E. Douglas in Wichita

  • Promise Thai Cuisine, 313 S. Greenwich in Wichita

  • Saigon Oriental Restaurant, 1103 N. Broadway in Wichita

  • Saltgrass Steak House, 2624 N. Greenwich in Wichita

  • Smokin’ Diner Food (mobile vendor/food truck), 4835 S. Martinson Circle in Wichita

  • Sweet P’s Love Machine (mobile vendor/food truck), 922 W. 11th St. in Wichita

  • Taco Bell, 950 Connolly Court in Park City

  • Tacos TJ 664 (mobile vendor/food truck), 1014 N. West St. in Wichita

  • Tamales Marycano, 2206 W. MacArthur, Lot 21 in Wichita

  • Tru By Hilton Wichita Northeast, 1236 N. Greenwich in Wichita

  • Wendy’s, 2612 N. Greenwich Court in Wichita

Note: Sometimes addresses listed — especially for mobile vendors and food trucks — are not where food is actually served to the public. Contact those establishments directly for specific service locations.

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