Chili’s Drinks Served With Cleaning Chemical

A Chili’s Grill & Bar in Forest City, North Carolina, has reopened after local health officials said three customers and two employees suffered chemical burns to their mouths from margaritas prepared with a cleaning chemical that had been mistaken for sugar.

The Foothills Health District said the customers ordered the drinks shortly after the restaurant opened for lunch and “immediately experienced discomfort and chemical burns in and around their mouths.” Two employees then tasted the substance and reported similar symptoms, according to the district.

The detail that matters here is painfully ordinary: an unlabeled container in a working restaurant. The health district said a restaurant employee had received a granulated degreasing chemical from a contracted worker who was power washing the building exterior on Oct. 26 and put it into an unlabeled container. The container was then brought inside and left in the bar area. Health inspectors later found that a worker setting up the bar believed the contents were sugar and used the substance to prepare the margarita station.

Chili’s menu includes margaritas served with a citrus-sugar rim, which helps explain how a preparation error at the bar could injure several people at once. It does not explain why the chemical was left in an unlabeled container in the first place. The Foothills Health District said its investigation is closed and no fines were issued.

That leaves an unsatisfying split between cause and accountability. Officials have described the chain of mistakes. They have not, at least in the information released publicly, explained whether existing handling rules were broken by the contractor, the restaurant staff, or both.

A spokesperson for Chili’s told NBC News the incident was isolated to the Forest City location and said the company took immediate action to support those affected and prevent further injuries. The company also said it had investigated and addressed the issues specific to that restaurant.

The health district said the injured people received medical treatment, but spokesperson Megan Rollins told NBC News she had no information about their conditions. NBC also reported a discrepancy in the injury count: local officials said three customers were harmed, while Chili’s gave a lower number for guests.