Mouse poop on pans, old meat, cockroaches, no soap at Wichita KS restaurants, hotels

A mouse infestation at a restaurant, rodent feces on clean pans, a kitchen worker who ate food droppings directly off of a preparation table, old meat, a food truck that closed temporarily over deficiencies and dead cockroaches in a sports arena are among violations Kansas Department of Agriculture inspectors discovered during recent food safety inspections in the Wichita area.

Each week, The Eagle adds to its searchable database of failed inspections from Sedgwick County. Eight Wichita-area restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant from Jan 12-18.

Inspectors found few or no violations at more than 30 other businesses deemed compliant with food safety and lodging rules.

Inspections are meant to protect the public from foodborne illnesses and other health risks. Violations are common.

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Businesses can fail an inspection if they have too many problems, certain types of violations or issues that can’t be fixed right away. Most of the time, they correct issues in front of an inspector. Examples of things that can be addressed immediately are serving food that’s more than a week old, employees mishandling food and dirty kitchens.

But sometimes issues take days or weeks to correct, like pest infestations, power outages and plumbing problems.

It’s rare, but a business may temporarily shut down over violations.

Places that fail are usually reinspected within 10 days.

The list in this story was compiled on Jan. 22 using information available from the state on that date. The list only contains places in Sedgwick County. You can search food and lodging inspection results elsewhere in Kansas at https://foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.

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Out-of-compliance inspections

A & J Poke Ramen, 550 N. Ridge Road in Wichita — Four violations on Jan. 13 during its first operational inspection after licensing. Violations include several foods including cooked shrimp and gyoza that weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, raw beef and hard-boiled eggs weren’t cold enough in refrigeration, raw shelled eggs were stored at an incorrect temperature. Next inspection: Jan. 23.

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Bella Vita Bistro, 120 N. West St., Suite 2 in Wichita — Ten violations on Jan. 13 during a complaint inspection. Violations include old Mornay sauce and osso buco, mouse droppings on clean pans and utensils, live and dead mice, mouse droppings along wall and under equipment, “large amount of clutter” in utility closet is harboring pests, chemicals stored over clean pans and containers, dead mice in kitchen, water didn’t get hot enough at kitchen sink, “mouse droppings too numerous to count” throughout restaurant, pans and containers weren’t sanitized, restaurant was vacuum-packaging osso buco and filets without required approval from the state. Next inspection: Jan. 23.

Economy Hotel Plus Wichita, 5805 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita — Three violations on Jan. 13 during a modified complaint inspection. Violations include fire extinguishers weren’t inspected every year, rough and cracked wall in room was not painted, no smoke alarm in one room. The next inspection date wasn’t listed. The city of Wichita shut down the hotel Jan. 17 after an inspection by the fire department revealed 107 violations. It will be reinspected in that case on Feb. 14, The Eagle has reported.

Express Mart, 565 S. Market in Wichita — Two violations on Jan. 14 during a routine inspection. Violations include no test strips for chlorine sanitizer, buildup inside dry creamer dispenser. Next inspection: Jan. 24.

HomeGrown, 1900 N. Rock Road in Wichita — Four violations on Jan. 15 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include unlabeled chemical containers, sliced tomatoes weren’t cold enough in a refrigerated preparation table, leaky sink valve, employee ate food droppings directly off of a preparation table. Next inspection: Jan. 25.

Smash Bros (mobile vendor/food truck), 9809 W. Par Lane in Wichita — Five violations on Jan. 15 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include no soap at hand-washing sink, no hot water at hand-washing and dish-washing sinks, hand-washing sink was blocked by a cutting board, unlabeled spray bottle of sanitizer, no paper towels at hand-washing sink. The business closed voluntarily over the deficiencies and was able to reopen after another inspection on Jan. 16. Next inspection: March 4.

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WSU Charles Koch Arena at Wichita State University, 1845 N. Fairmount in Wichita — Three violations on Jan. 15 during a routine inspection. Violations include fresh rodent droppings in back basement area, no written plan for cleaning up vomiting or diarrhea incidents, dead cockroaches and rodent droppings in basement area of stands. Next inspection: Jan. 25.

Yum Mi Express, 6254 E. 37th St. North, Suite 160 in Bel Aire — Three violations on Jan. 14 during a follow-up inspection. Violations include raw eggs stored above containers of garlic and milk, raw beef was stored with cooked pork, raw beef stored above cooked noodles and ready-to-eat chicken, bean sprouts weren’t kept cold enough, no accurate food probe thermometer on site. Next inspection: Feb. 14.

See a problem? Here’s where to complain

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.

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To report an illness you think was caused by a restaurant, food or event where food was served, 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.

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.

The violation summaries were compiled and drafted with the help of AI tools. They were fact-checked for accuracy and edited by Wichita Eagle journalists.

Contributing: Michael Stavola of The Eagle

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