Three people suffered chemical burns after drinking margaritas at Chili’s Grill & Bar in Forest City, North Carolina, after a cleaning chemical was mistakenly used in the drinks. Health officials said the exposure happened on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and the restaurant’s food service permit was later reinstated on Thursday, Oct. 29.
The Foothills Health District said the chemical had been mistaken for sugar. A contractor had given a restaurant employee a granulated degreasing chemical on Monday while power washing the building, and that employee put it into an unlabeled container that was later brought inside and left in the bar area. By Wednesday morning, another employee mistook the unlabeled container for sugar and used it at the margarita station.
Three customers ordered margaritas after the restaurant opened, and they immediately suffered chemical burns in and around their mouths after drinking them. They reported their symptoms to staff and left to seek medical treatment. The health district said two employees then tasted the mixture and developed similar symptoms shortly after, widening the exposure beyond the customers who first drank the drinks.
Jason Masters said the incident shows why chemical labeling, storage and handling matter in food service settings under the North Carolina Food Code. The district said it suspended restaurant service while staff deep-cleaned food preparation areas, a step that turned the episode from a single serving mistake into a broader food-safety failure.
What the district did not disclose is just as important as what it did. Investigators did not reveal the chemical’s name, and they did not say how serious the injuries were for the customers or the employees. For now, the restaurant is allowed to serve food again, but the unanswered questions leave the central issue hanging: how a container meant for cleaning ended up behind a bar, and why no one caught it before the drinks were served.
