Animal feces. Blood over peanuts. Bird living in store. Wichita KS food, hotel checks

Amy Renee Leiker
·9 min read

Three restaurants, two hotels, a school and a supermarket in Wichita were out of compliance during food safety and lodging inspections conducted last week by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Their problems included dead mice and cockroaches, animal feces on a storage room floor, a missing smoke detector and window screens, a bird that has been living in a store for a month, sticky fly traps hanging over food and bedbugs, according to inspection reports.

Information about the seven businesses and a summary of their violations appears below. The list was compiled Dec. 13 and includes inspections conducted in Sedgwick County from Dec. 3-9.

At least 60 establishments passed inspections last week. They also appear below. Some may have been non-compliant in previous weeks.

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.

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

How establishments fail

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 foodborne illnesses or when a problem can’t be fixed right away, like bug and rodent infestations. Typically, establishments are re-inspected within 10 days.

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

You can search food and lodging inspection results in any Kansas county at www.foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.

Out-of-compliance inspections

Chicken N Pickle, 1240 N. Greenwich in Wichita — Six violations on Dec. 6 during a complaint inspection. Several unlabeled bottles of peroxide cleaner, no soap or paper towels at hand-washing sink by cashier station, restaurant didn’t keep required logs for vacuum-packaging cooking and cooling processes for nearly two weeks, foods including waffle mix and pimento cheese weren’t kept cold enough, foods including par-cooked French fries and cooked peppers weren’t kept hot enough. Next inspection: Dec. 16.

Denny’s, 4024 E. Harry in Wichita — Five violations on Dec. 7 during a complaint inspection. Microwave and stove were soiled with built-up food and debris, pan stored in hand-washing sink, dirty pans were in clean storage, “approximately 10 large flies were observed above the cooking station by vents” in the kitchen and about five large flies were in the lobby area, more winged bugs were in the back mop room, “heavy build up of food debris under the equipment on the main cook line.” Next inspection: Dec. 17.

St. Patrick’s Catholic School, 2023 N. Arkansas in Wichita — Two violations on Dec. 5 during a routine inspection. “There were fresh rodent droppings observed in various areas as well as one dead mouse in trap,” dead mouse in trap that been there for about a week and fresh mouse droppings behind reach-in cooler and along external wall baseboard as well as in other areas. “In back dry storage cabinet there were approximately 6 fresh droppings and evidence of chewed paper and cardboard.” Next inspection: Dec. 15.

Super 8 by Wyndham Wichita North, 3741 N. Rock Road in Wichita — Fourteen violations on Dec. 6 during a complaint inspection. Bottles of bleach and other cleaners weren’t labeled, “there is no wash, rinse and sanitizer step for ice buckets located in each room,” animal feces on floor in vacuum storage room, no evacuation plan posted on door in one room, black mildew on bathtub caulking, light bulbs were out in bedside lamps, plug by hand-washing sink in one room wasn’t a GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) outlet, baseboard lifted from wall by bathroom in one room, “sticky residue build up” on ice machine chute, several rooms didn’t have screens on windows, emergency lights in stairwells didn’t work, broken light plate cover in laundry area, no smoke detector in one room, dirty refrigerator in room. The next inspection date wasn’t listed on the report.

Taco Tico, 3530 N. Rock Road in Wichita — Seven violations on Dec. 5 during a joint inspection. Shelving had dried food debris on it which could drip onto food containers underneath, containers of sanitizer weren’t labeled with common chemical names, no soap at drive-thru hand-washing sink, food thermometer wasn’t calibrated correctly, container of black olives wasn’t labeled with package opening date, several foods in refrigeration including nacho cheese and chicken weren’t cold enough, at “both soda carbonators, the intermediate vent is not located downstream from the pump.” The restaurant was in compliance during a remote follow-up inspection on Dec. 12.

Thai Bihn Supermarket, 1530 W. 21st St. in Wichita — Fourteen violations on Dec. 8 during a complaint inspection. Buckets of shredded cabbage and carrots in vinegar weren’t labeled with preparation dates, sticky fly traps were hanging over food and food preparation areas, a bird had been living in and flying around the store for a month and walks around floor and sales shelves, several dead mice in traps in food preparation areas and in storage, mouse droppings, dozens of dead cockroaches in basement storage, “no pest control measures in place to control bird in retail space beyond trying to capture bird when spotted,” stacks of cardboard and wood pallets make it difficult to clean and create areas for pests to hide, cans of insect spray not rated for use in food establishments were being used on site, cooler lid full of blood was sitting above a peanut bin, “most traps observed in facility were filled to capacity with dead pests,” mouse droppings were too numerous to count, dead pests and droppings left lying around can attract more pests, rodent bait used in basement storage wasn’t in a bait station which can lead to “toxic contamination,” food residue and grease accumulated on grill and cooking station, dirty bin of tongs in clean storage, probe food thermometer was stored touching cans of insecticide, pallet filled with bags of jasmine rice had been chewed by mice and mouse droppings were in the open bags, store wasn’t keeping required records for shellfish sales. Next inspection: Dec. 18.

Wyndham Garden Wichita Downtown, 221 E. Kellogg in Wichita — One violation on Dec. 5 during a reopening inspection. Live bedbugs found in room 612. Next inspection: Dec. 25.

How 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 report 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 https://agriculture.ks.gov/kda-services/complaint-form/food-safety-and-lodging-complaint.

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

These businesses passed inspections

  • ABC Discount Wine & Spirits, 8550 W. 21st St. in Wichita

  • Antojitos Domingueros (mobile vendor/food truck), 4815 E. Orme in Wichita

  • Arby’s, 2425 S. Seneca in Wichita

  • Arctic Glacier USA Inc., 215 E. Carp in Wichita

  • Aroma Coffeehouse, 7348 W. 21st St., Suite 110 in Wichita

  • Best Western Governors Inn & Suites Wichita, 4742 S. Emporia in Wichita

  • Big Lots, 4165 E. Harry in Wichita

  • Blue Moon Caterers, 8406 W. Central in Wichita

  • Brew’d Awakening, 503 E. Ross in Clearwater

  • Casey’s General Store, 152 N. 4th St. in Clearwater

  • Casey’s General Store, 3540 S. Meridian in Wichita

  • Church’s Texas Chicken, 3824 E. Harry in Wichita

  • Cocoa Dolce Artisan Chocolates, 2132 N. Rock Road, Suite 100 in Wichita

  • Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Wichita, 4875 S. Laura in Wichita

  • Dollar General, 1100 N. Main in Cheney

  • Dollar Tree, 2120 N. Amidon in Wichita

  • Dollar Tree, 6840 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita

  • Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Wichita Airport, 2098 S. Airport Road in Wichita

  • Dutch Bros Coffee, 4823 S. Washington in Wichita

  • El Azteca Mexican Restaurant, 111 N. Main in Haysville

  • El Viejito Mexican Restaurant, 4722 S. Broadway in Wichita

  • Feng Cha, 8007 E. Kellogg Drive, Suite 18B in Wichita

  • Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, 10096 E. 13th St., Suite 118 in Wichita

  • GFS - Little Debbies at U-STOR #312, 10625 W. 21st St., Unit 312 in Wichita

  • GFS - Little Debbies at Wichita Storage Pro #A4, 1717 S. Greenwich, Suite A-4 in Wichita

  • Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, 620 N. Rock Road, Suite 220 in Derby

  • Hampton Inn Derby Wichita Southeast, 1701 E. Cambridge in Derby

  • Hog Wild Pit Bar-B-Q, 620 N. Rock Road in Derby

  • Hog Wild Pit Bar-B-Q, 8821 W. 21st St., Suite 400 in Wichita

  • The Independent Lower School, 8301 E. Douglas in Wichita

  • The Independent School Cafe, 8317 E. Douglas in Wichita

  • The Independent School Early Learning Center, 8427 E. Douglas in Wichita

  • The Independent School Middle School, 8333 E. Douglas in Wichita

  • Jack’s Discount Liquor, 3931 N. Ridge Road, Suite 100 in Wichita

  • Jack’s Wine & Spirits, 3560 N. Maize Road, Suite 100 in Wichita

  • Joann Fabrics & Crafts, 6930 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita

  • Jump Start, 900 E. Ross in Clearwater

  • Kentucky Fried Chicken, 611 E. 47th St. South in Wichita

  • La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Wichita Airport, 6335 W. Kellogg Drive in Wichita

  • Legends Nutrition, 617 N. Rock Road in Derby

  • Long John Silver’s, 1129 W. Pawnee in Wichita

  • Marshall Middle School, 1510 N. Payne in Wichita

  • MOXI Junction (mobile vendor/food truck), 319 S. Park in Maize

  • Newman University, 3100 W. McCormick in Wichita

  • Noori U.S. Gas Convenience Store #2, 801 S. Oliver in Wichita

  • Panda Express, 2672 N. Greenwich Court in Wichita

  • Premier Food Service at Electromech Technologies, 2600 S. Custer in Wichita

  • Pizza Hut, 200 E. Ross in Clearwater

  • Pizza John’s, 208 S. Baltimore in Derby

  • Schlotzsky’s, 6507 E. Central in Wichita

  • Spangles, 1023 E. 61st St. North in Park City

  • Steve’s Jams and Jellies inside Towne West Square, 4600 W. Kellogg Drive, Unit Q-01 in Wichita

  • Subway, 700 N. Baltimore in Derby

  • Supplement World, 552 N. Ridge Road in Wichita

  • Taco Shops of Wichita, 427 N. Hillside in Wichita

  • Tree Top Nursery & Landscape, 5910 E. 37th St. North in Wichita

  • Trinity Academy K-8 School, 1870 N. Founders Circle in Wichita

  • Walgreens, 13534 W. Maple in Wichita

  • Walgreens, 3770 N. Woodlawn in Wichita

  • Wichita Brewing Company & Pizzeria, 535 N. Woodlawn, Suite 375 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.