Five people suffered chemical burns after drinking margaritas rimmed with a white granulated substance that was mistaken for sugar at a Chilis Grill & Bar in Forest City, N.C., and the restaurant was closed on Wednesday after the exposure. Three customers and two staff members were hurt, and all of them went straight to urgent care centers.
Megan Rollins said the injuries appeared to be mainly around the mouth, which fits how the drink would have been served. “It’s almost like a little tray where they put water, lime juice,” she said, “And then on the other side of the tray is a place to put salt or sugar.”
Health officials later identified the substance as a degreaser left in an unlabeled container near the bar. The chemical had been brought into the restaurant early on Oct. 26 by a contractor hired to power wash the building’s exterior, then left by a restaurant employee near the bar area. Another employee found it on Wednesday and put some of it into containers at the margarita station, where it was treated as if it belonged there.
That mistake turned a routine garnish into a chemical exposure. When the restaurant opened on Wednesday, three customers reported an immediate burn after drinking the margaritas, and two workers sampled the substance and felt the same symptoms. The Foothills Health District closed the restaurant immediately and temporarily suspended its permit.
The size of the injuries has not been made public, and that leaves the hardest question unresolved: how badly were the five people hurt, and how quickly will they recover? Chili’s said it “took immediate action to support those affected and avoid further injuries,” while the county’s emergency management agency cited “privacy and confidentiality considerations” in limiting what it would say next.
