Old meats and medication, bugs on food, dead and living flies, rodent feces, employees who touched customer food with their bare hands, dented cans, rotting fruits and vegetables, roaches, water problems and more are among violations Kansas Department of Agriculture inspectors discovered during recent food safety and lodging inspections in the Wichita area.
Each week, The Eagle adds to its searchable database of failed inspections from Sedgwick County. Thirteen restaurants, hotels and other businesses were non-compliant with state regulations from Aug. 3-9.
Inspectors found few or no violations at more than 60 other locations deemed compliant with food safety and lodging rules.
Inspections are meant to protect the public from foodborne illnesses and other health risks. Locations can fail if they have too many problems, certain types of violations or issues that can’t be fixed right away.
Violations are common. Most of the time, businesses 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 ingredients and dirty kitchens. Issues that take longer to correct include pest infestations, power outages and plumbing problems.
It’s rare, but a business may be temporarily shut down over violations.
Places that fail are usually reinspected within 10 days.
The list in this report was compiled on Aug. 13 using information available from the state on that date. It covers Sedgwick County only.
But you can search food and lodging inspection results elsewhere in Kansas at https://foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.
Out-of-compliance inspections
Asian Groceries, 6249 E. 21st St., Suite 100 in Wichita — Nine violations on Aug. 7 during a verification inspection. Improper backflow prevention at mop sink, no toilet tissue in restroom, raw meat stored in plastic trash bags and other bags instead of food-grade containers, bottles of soda were not labeled in English, raw chicken liver had no instructions for safe handling, multiple foods including lamb feet and cow tongue were not properly labeled, no sanitizer test strips available, dirty meat saw and grinder, no paper towels at hand-washing sink. Next inspection: Aug. 17.
Asian Groceries (Kitchen), 6249 E. 21st St., Unit 123 in Wichita — Out of compliance on Aug. 7 during a disaster inspection. The walk-in cooler was too warm, with approximately 15-20 cases of raw chicken stored at unsafe temperatures. Next inspection: Aug. 17.
Dillons, 2244 N. Rock Road in Wichita — Five violations on Aug. 8 during a routine inspection. Multiple dented cans for sale, 15-20 fruit flies and several flies landing on food in produce section, rotten and moldy fruits and vegetables, no paper towels at hand-washing sink, expired medication for sale. Next inspection: Aug. 18.
Dillons Marketplace, 1624 N. Rock Road in Derby — One violation on Aug. 4 during a modified complaint inspection. Five large flies and four smaller winged insects seen in back deli area. Next inspection: Aug. 14.
Dillons, 640 N. West St. in Wichita — Eleven violations on Aug. 6 during a verification inspection. Expired deli meats including ham and turkey in deli department, dirty knife and meat saw, flies around dirty dishes on hanging shelves, flying insects in bakery and Chinese kitchen areas, fly on packaged meat and dead flies on meat cooler shelf, cracked plastic lids covering food in Chinese food department, soda cases stored directly on floor, deli meats and bakery items weren’t kept cold enough, underheated food in steam table at Chinese kitchen, dirty hand-washing sink, turkey and cheese sandwiches weren’t labeled with their preparation dates, raw bacon was stored above ready-to-eat hot dogs, dirty meat packaging equipment. Next inspection: Aug. 16.
Dollar General, 4520 E. 13th St. in Wichita — Two violations on Aug. 4 during a verification inspection. Toxic cleaning products stored above food items and single-use items throughout store, multiple dented food cans on retail shelves. Next inspection: Aug. 14.
El Rancho Motel, 4510 S. Broadway in Wichita — Two violations on Aug. 6 during a modified complaint inspection. Multiple roaches in two guest rooms including on shower curtain and ceiling, missing light bulbs in multiple rooms. Next inspection: Aug. 16.
La Tienda Del Ahorro, 1770 N. Broadway in Wichita — Two violations on Aug. 6 during a complaint inspection and nine violations on Aug. 6 during a reopening inspection. The business was operating without running water, failure to cease operations and notify health department of imminent health hazard, employee handled raw meat without hand-washing, no written plan for cleanup of bodily fluids, ineffective sanitizer solution with zero chlorine detected, employee dried her hands on her pants, no paper towels at hand-washing sink, soap and bleach stored in hand-washing sink, fly on cutting board, unlabeled food packages, missing probe thermometer. Next inspection: Aug. 16.
Little Caesars Pizza, 5000 S. Broadway in Wichita — Four violations on Aug. 6 during a modified complaint inspection. Employee touched ready-to-eat pizza with bare hands, no written plan for cleanup of bodily fluids, hand-washing sink blocked by equipment, employee wasn’t wearing gloves over wrist covers. Next inspection: Aug. 16.
Mega BMX, 2339 E. MacArthur in Wichita — Three violations on Aug. 6 during a routine inspection. No written plan for cleanup of bodily fluids, approximately 60 rodent droppings near sink and additional droppings behind cooler and freezer, no sanitizer test strips available. Next inspection: Aug. 16.
Sweetpop’s, 550 N. Rock Road, Suite 60 in Wichita — Five violations on Aug. 5 during a complaint inspection. No sanitizer test strips available, cakes for sale weren’t labeled in English, tea milk mix wasn’t kept cold enough, no paper towels at hand-washing sink, business was using hand-washing sink to rinse dishes. Next inspection: Aug. 15.
Tamales Marycano (mobile vendor/food truck), 2206 W. MacArthur, Lot 21 in Wichita — One violation on Aug. 7 during an expired license inspection. Business was operating with an expired license. The next inspection date wasn’t provided on the inspection report.
Tanya’s Soup Kitchen, 1725 E. Douglas in Wichita — Fourteen violations on Aug. 4 during a joint inspection. Food including butter and coffee creamer weren’t kept cold enough, dented cans, unlabeled chemical spray bottle, employee didn’t wash hands between handling clean and dirty dishes, employee touched croutons for soup with bare hands, improper thawing of sausage, improper backflow prevention at mop sink, cracked and damaged utensils and container, mold in ice bin, water wasn’t hot enough at bathroom sink, trash in storage area, expired chicken, dirty food containers in clean storage, soup wasn’t kept hot enough. Next inspection: Aug. 14.
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.
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.
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