Restaurant inspection results: IHOP closes after cockroaches found

A Lawrence breakfast spot briefly closed its doors Monday after live cockroaches were found behind the scenes.

On Monday a Kansas Department of Agriculture health inspector visited IHOP, 3102 Iowa St., after a complaint was filed against the restaurant, according to the department’s website.

Approximately 25 live cockroaches were found in the restaurant’s dish area “crawling on the walls and floors,” the report says.

After the inspection the restaurant voluntarily closed down and contacted a pest-control company, the report says.

On Tuesday, the restaurant was open and was inspected once more.

According to Tuesday’s report, no cockroaches were found. A pest-control company applied insecticide in the restaurant’s dish area and in any other cracks and crevices that needed attention.

The company also set bait traps and will follow up with the restaurant in a week, the report says.

Aside from IHOP, a couple of downtown watering holes remain on the restaurant inspection list for early September.

Plus, a fast-food location is making its second appearance on this list within a month.

So far this September, a total of six establishments make the list.

Twice each month, I take a look at inspection results and list every place either listed out of compliance or with 10 or more code violations. Full reports are available online at agriculture.ks.gov.

There you can find details about specific violations, which can vary greatly. Noncritical citations include unlabeled products, improperly stored cleaning materials, minor plumbing issues and more. Critical violations include cross-contamination of raw and cooked foods, insect and rodent issues, unclean food preparation areas and more.

Some violations may be corrected during the inspection, while others take longer to fix and require follow-up inspections.

All businesses, even those listed out of compliance, met the basic requirements to safely remain open, unless otherwise noted.

I try to provide basic information about food inspections in Douglas County, but due to the sheer volume of inspections, it’s difficult to offer detailed information about each establishment.

Here are Douglas County restaurant inspection results for the first half of September:

• IHOP, 3102 Iowa St., last had a reopening inspection on Sept. 13 and one violation was found. The restaurant is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Pepper Jax Grill, 919 Massachusetts St., last had a regular inspection on Sept. 13 and three violations were found. The restaurant is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Deerfield Elementary School, 101 Lawrence Ave., last had a regular inspection on Sept. 8 and three violations were found. The establishment is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Long John Silver’s/A&W, 1503 W. 23rd St., last had a complaint inspection on Sept. 8 and 16 violations were found. The restaurant is currently listed as out of compliance.

• The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., last had a follow-up inspection on Sept. 6 and three violations were found. The establishment is currently listed as out of compliance.

• Leroy’s, 729 New Hampshire St., last had a follow-up inspection on Sept. 6 and three violations were found. The establishment is currently listed as out of compliance.


I report on crime and courts for the Journal-World. I can be reached by email at cswanson@ljworld.com, by phone at (785) 832-7284 or on Twitter @Conrad_Swanson.