Restaurant inspections: Mice, black specks in cheese, dead bugs, grimy grill in Wichita KS

Five Wichita-area restaurants and other businesses were out of compliance during Kansas Department of Agriculture food safety and lodging inspections conducted Jan. 15-21.

Information about the Sedgwick County businesses and their violations, compiled Jan. 27, appears below with a summary of the problems inspectors noted on their reports. More details are posted in The Eagle’s searchable database of non-compliant restaurant and hotel inspections at www.kansas.com/databases.

Business owners who want to clarify or comment on out-of-compliance inspection results can contact Eagle reporter Amy Renee Leiker at 316-268-6644 or aleiker@wichitaeagle.com. Comments will be added to online stories. Businesses that failed are listed alphabetically at the end of this article.

More than 40 establishments surveyed Jan. 15-21 passed their inspections with few or no violations. You can see those at www.foodsafety.kda.ks.gov/FoodSafety/Web/Inspection/PublicInspectionSearch.aspx.

Failing an inspection doesn’t necessarily mean a business has to close; that’s rare. Most violations are minor and are corrected as an inspection is taking place.

Businesses fall out of compliance with state rules when they have too many violations, issues that can cause foodborne illnesses or when a problem can’t be fixed right away, such as pest infestations or broken plumbing.

When a business fails, it’s usually inspected again within 10 days.

To complain about 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 online at www.foodsafetykansas.org.

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

For more information about foodborne illnesses, visit www.foodsafety.gov or www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/foodborne-germs.html.

Complaints about conditions at hotels and motels can be submitted online here.

Recent out-of-compliance inspections

Bomber Burger, 4860 S. Clifton in Wichita — Five violations during a Jan. 18 inspection listed as a modified complaint. Cited for “build up of dead winged insects” along windows, grease and grime build up around grill station, standing water in men’s restroom going into the hallway due to a leak under the sink, bottle of sanitizer stored on ice machine, fork and sponge were stored in hand-washing sink. The inspector recommended a “deep cleaning of establishment” after the kitchen closed. Next inspection: Jan. 28.

Denny’s, 4024 E. Harry in Wichita — One violation during a Jan. 19 inspection listed as a modified complaint. Cited again over mice. An inspector noted fresh mouse droppings in the dining room, behind the egg station cooler and reach-in cooler and in the mop room behind a storage rack but didn’t see any living or dead mice around. A pest control person found mice a few days earlier, though, and laid down glue traps. Next inspection: March 19.

Dusti’s Place, 7006 W. MacArthur in Wichita — Six violations during a Jan. 19 routine inspection. Cited for not having a consumer advisory about the risks of eating undercooked burgers and steaks on the menu, employee didn’t wash hands after handling raw chicken, par-cooked fries weren’t kept cold enough, restaurant used wrong sink for food preparation including thawing and washing vegetables, employee touched toast with bare hands, no hand-washing sink in kitchen. Next inspection: Jan. 29.

Rene’s Restaurant, 677 N. Eisenhower in Wichita — Four violations during a Jan. 17 follow-up inspection. Cited over cheese with “small black pieces of an unknown substance” in it, raw bacon stored on shelf over containers of salsa, ladder blocking basement hand-washing sink, petroleum jelly stored above containers of chips on rack. Next inspection: March 17.

The Sweet Spot, 8448 W. Central in Wichita — Six violations during a Jan. 18 routine inspection. Cited for blocking kitchen hand-washing sink with mop buckets, milk in cooler wasn’t cold enough, bucket of sanitizer sitting on bread oven, container of petroleum jelly stored above agave syrup and chicken soup base in dry storage, water in dishwasher wasn’t hot enough, cut watermelon and meatloaf weren’t labeled with preparation dates, other items including cheesecakes and cooked chicken weren’t labeled with preparation dates, no paper towels at bar hand-washing sink. The restaurant was still out of compliance during its Jan. 26 follow-up inspection.