Three customers at a Chili’s restaurant in Forest City, North Carolina, suffered chemical burns after drinking margaritas made with an industrial cleaning product that had mistakenly been used in place of sugar.
The alarming error occurred Wednesday at the popular chain’s Forest City location, leaving three diners with painful injuries inside and around their mouths.
Two employees also developed similar symptoms after tasting the substance, bringing the total number of people affected to five.
According to health officials, the incident began when a worker preparing the bar for lunch service unknowingly used a powerful degreaser that had been stored in an unmarked container.
The mix-up led authorities to suspend the restaurant’s food service permit immediately while they investigated how a potentially hazardous cleaning chemical came to be used in cocktails.
For longtime Chili’s customer Levonne Baker, the episode sounded less like a routine restaurant mishap and more like a scene from a horror film.
“I was beyond surprised and almost scared,” Baker told local broadcaster News 13.
“It’s like a Wes Craven story that’s coming to life. I mean, you don’t get margaritas that can burn your skin.”
Three customers suffered chemical burns to their mouths after drinking margaritas at this Chili’s restaurant in Forest City, North Carolina
Investigators from the Foothills Health District have reconstructed a troubling chain of events that started two days before the customers were injured.
On Monday, October 26, a contractor was power-washing the restaurant’s exterior when an employee received what officials identified as a “granulated degreasing chemical.”
Rather than keeping the substance in a properly labeled chemical container away from food and beverages, it was moved into an unmarked receptacle.
Preliminary findings from health officials say the container was then taken inside and left in the restaurant’s bar area.
It remained there until Wednesday morning, when an employee found it while getting the bar ready for service.
Believing the granules were sugar, the worker used them while preparing the margarita station.
The error came to light only after three customers ordered the tequila-based drinks.
The diners “immediately experienced discomfort” after taking sips of their margaritas, the Foothills Health District said.
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A cleaning chemical was mistaken for sugar. The three diners immediately experienced painful reactions after sipping their cocktails along with two employees who tasted the drinks
The customers suffered chemical burns inside and around their mouths. They notified restaurant staff before leaving to seek medical care.
Two employees then sampled the contents of the container in an attempt to identify what had gone wrong. Both workers developed similar symptoms.
All five were affected by the same chemical exposure, although authorities have not disclosed the precise severity of their injuries.
Foothills Health District spokesperson Megan Rollins confirmed that those affected had received medical treatment.
‘I’m not sure what degree of chemical burns they had, but they went to urgent care and were treated there,’ she said.
Officials have not publicly identified the specific degreasing product involved or said whether any of the victims suffered lasting injuries.
The incident triggered an immediate intervention by local health authorities, who suspended the Chili’s restaurant’s permission to serve food while environmental health specialists investigated.
Restaurant staff were ordered to thoroughly wash, rinse and sanitize potentially contaminated food preparation areas, equipment and surfaces.
Baker, who regularly visits Chili’s, said the episode had left him questioning whether he would feel comfortable returning to the restaurant’s bar.
Health officials temporarily shut down the Chili’s location following the shocking mix-up, but the restaurant was allowed to reopen the following day after passing food safety inspections
‘It has made me a little nervous about going back to the bar because it’s like, what’s in there next?’ he said. ‘I mean, am I going to be the next person who’s going next door? And not for an oil change.’
The restaurant was cleared to resume operations on Thursday.
Chili’s has described the episode as an isolated incident and said it is investigating what happened while supporting those affected.
The Foothills Health District has meanwhile warned that the incident demonstrates the potentially devastating consequences of failing to label and store chemicals correctly.
The agency stressed that dangerous substances must be clearly identified and kept separate from anything intended for human consumption.
