Kitchen vaping. Cockroaches. ‘Insane’ grime. Wichita KS restaurant, hotel inspections

Nine restaurants and other 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 cockroaches, bugs in liquor bottles, employees who didn't wash their hands before handling food and one who was vaping in a kitchen, grease and food debris build up so bad an inspector described it as "insane," dead insects on food containers, food stored directly on the floor, fruit flies and gnats, rotting potatoes and more, according to inspection reports.

Information about the food establishments, as well as a summary of their violations, appears below. The list includes inspections conducted in Sedgwick County from June 23-29. It was compiled on July 2.

At least 50 establishments passed inspections during that same time. A list of those also appears below. Some may have been non-compliant in previous weeks.

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

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

Alejandro's Mexican Food, 1212 S. Rock Road in Wichita — Twelve violations on June 26 during a routine inspection. The restaurant was serving flan that was made in a person's home instead of in a commercial kitchen, several containers of seasonings and a tub of tortilla chips didn't have lids to protect them from contamination, around 30 fruit flies and 20 regular flies were in the building mostly by the mop sink and a potato dicer, a container of soapy water wasn't labeled with its contents, the restaurant was using ramekins without handles to scoop rice and cumin from bulk containers, dead bugs were on the lids of seasoning containers, several dead flies were along a baseboard in a storage area, a bag of oregano and boxes of tortillas were stored directly on the floor, packages of bottled soda were stored on the floor, a spatula wasn't in good condition, an employee wasn't sanitizing dishes, metal pans in clean storage were soiled with sticker residue, there were no paper towels at a kitchen hand-washing sink, there was an "excess of spilled foods on floor and shelving" in the dry storage area and red sauce spilled down a shelf and a box of salsa. Next inspection: July 6.

Chick N Max, 352 S. West St., Suite 100 in Wichita — Four violations on June 26 during a routine inspection. Quinoa mix and sauces weren't cold enough in a reach-in cooler, "black food residue" was on the blade of an industrial-grade can opener, corn dogs weren't labeled with the date they were prepared or removed from their packaging, the restaurant wasn't using enough sanitizer to wash dishes. Next inspection: July 6.

, 2244 N. Rock Road in Wichita — Five violations on June 26 during a routine inspection. Mold and fruit flies were on seven bags of russet potatoes, several deli items including meat and cheese weren't cold enough in the deli display case, a tres leches-style cake wasn't cold enough in the bakery cold display case, old turkey deli meats, gnats and fruit flies were landing on fruits and vegetables in the produce section, cartons of raw eggs were stored on top of yogurt containers. Next inspection: July 6.

El Agave Mexican Restaurant, 3236 N. Rock Road in Wichita — One violation on June 24 during a modified complaint inspection. An inspector saw gnats in the bar area and in a back storage area by a mop sink by dirty wiping cloths. Next inspection: July 4.

Extended Stay America Suites Wichita-East, 9450 E. Corporate Hills Drive in Wichita — Four violations on June 28 during a complaint inspection. Fire extinguishers were overdue for an inspection, emergency lights on the first floor didn't work, there was no carbon monoxide detector in the laundry room which has a gas dryer. Next inspection: July 8.

HRA Wichita Entertainment (Fever Night Life), 116 N. Mead in Wichita — Two violations on June 28 during a follow-up inspection. Bottles of Crown Royal and UV Cake had bugs in them, there was a "large collection" of water behind the main bar that might be connected to issues with an air conditioning unit. Next inspection: Aug. 8.

Mr. Miyagi Japanese Grill, 3920 E. Harry, Suite 200 in Wichita — Seven violations on June 27 during a complaint inspection. There was no thermometer available to check food temperatures, 15 to 20 gnats and flies were in the kitchen and dining areas, a scoop handle was touching cooked rice, teriyaki sauce wasn't labeled with the date it was prepared, there were no paper towels at a hand-washing sink, an employee was vaping in the kitchen, the restaurant needed more test strips to measure the concentration of Quaternary ammonium sanitizer. Next inspection: July 7.

New Paradise Biryani Pointe Indian Cuisine, 1648 S. Rock Road in Wichita — Twenty-three violations on June 25 during a complaint inspection. Several employees didn't wash their hands before they put on gloves and started touching food, scoops in several dry goods including flour and rice had handles touching the food, a shelf in a cooler had a "build up of food debris that was hanging" from it, the kitchen and dry storage areas "were covered in food debris and grease," a mop sink was "encrusted with grease and grime," ramekins used as scoops were stored in containers of sauce, containers of aluminum trays had "grease encrusted" on their sides, there was an "insane build up of food and grease debris" on the handle of a walk-in cooler and on a ledge between a grill and a table, lots of grease in a sink trap and in between fryers and a grill, several gaps in the back door and the back area can let rodents in, several used mop heads were on the floor next to the back door, cooked lamb and rice weren't cold enough in a cooler, contaminated salt, several containers of seasonings didn't have lids to protect them from contamination, raw eggs were sitting out a room temperature, containers of sauce weren't labeled with their preparation dates, there was an insect control device that electrocutes bugs stored on a table above clean buffet plates, there were several dead flies lying around the bug electrocution devices, there was a "build up of black grease encrusted" on the sides of pots, the sole hand-washing sink in the kitchen was blocked by an air-conditioning unit, dead bugs in the dish area and in the kitchen, several bags of onions and dry goods including flour and rice were stored directly on the floor, "several containers of ready to eat food" and bags of basmati rice were stored directly on the floor, there were "approximately 20 winged insects" throughout the building, "an accumulation of fresh rodent droppings" was in the kitchen and dining room, there were greasy pots and containers and grease-encrusted hoods lying about, several old and greasy pieces of equipment that aren't being used were in the dry storage area, there was a container of insecticide rated for use in homes only in the dish area. Next inspection: July 5.

Papa Johns Pizza, 7800 E. Harry in Wichita — Three violations on June 25 during a modified complaint inspection. The front and back doors were propped open during the inspection because the air-conditioning unit was broken, "several dead cockroaches and flies" throughout the restaurant, about 20 living flies and a full-grown living cockroach was seen in the restaurant. Next inspection: July 5.

Fly trapped in chicken pan. Old food. No sanitizer. Wichita KS restaurant inspections

Dead bugs in liquor. Old meat. Rotten food. Wichita KS restaurant & hotel inspections

How do businesses fail inspections?

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. But most violations are minor and are corrected while an inspection is taking place.

Typically, establishments are reinspected within 10 days to ensure they are following the rules.

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

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 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 .

These businesses passed inspections last week

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