Three Chili's customers suffered chemical burns after degreaser was used in margaritas at Forest City, N.C., restaurant, health district says

A granulated degreasing chemical ended up in margaritas at a Chili's Grill & Bar in Forest City, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Three customers suffered chemical burns in and around their mouths, according to the Foothills Health District.

Two restaurant employees were hurt too, after they tasted the substance once the customers complained.

How the chemical got behind the bar

The health district's preliminary findings lay out a chain of small failures across two days.

In the early morning hours of Monday, Oct. 26, a restaurant employee received a granulated degreasing chemical from a contracted worker who was power washing the building's exterior. The employee put it in an unlabeled container. The container was then carried inside and left in the bar area.

On the morning of Oct. 28, another employee was preparing the bar for lunch service. That employee found the container, believed the contents were sugar, and used the chemical to prepare the margarita station.

Chili's menu lists several margaritas made with a citrus-sugar rimmer alongside the traditional salt.

The injuries

Shortly after the restaurant opened, three customers ordered margaritas. The health district says they "immediately experienced discomfort and chemical burns in and around their mouths." They told staff and left to seek medical attention.

Two employees then tasted the substance and reported similar symptoms.

Health district spokesperson Megan Rollins said the injured people were treated at an urgent care center. She said she did not know how severe the burns were. In a later email, she said the district had no information about their current conditions.

What the regulators did

The district opened an investigation and immediately suspended the restaurant's food service permit. It ordered staff to wash, rinse and sanitize the affected preparation areas, equipment and surfaces.

Environmental health specialists finished their work and reinstated the permit Thursday, Oct. 29. The district said the restaurant met all applicable food safety requirements, and the location reopened that day.

Rollins said the investigation is closed and no fines were issued.

Health District Director Jason Masters said the incident shows why restaurants must properly label, store and handle cleaning chemicals. Rollins added that clear labeling also lets poison control identify a substance quickly and advise on how to neutralize it.

Chili's account

Chili's has described the incident differently from the health district on one point. A company spokesperson said it was "isolated to a single restaurant in Forest City, North Carolina," and "resulted in injuries to two of our guests and Team Members." The health district counts three customers and two employees.

The company said it "took immediate action to support those affected and avoid further injuries." It also said it had "thoroughly investigated the circumstances and addressed the issues specific to this location." Chili's has not said what those issues were or what changed at the restaurant.

Customers react

Levonne Baker, a regular, told local television he was "beyond surprised and almost scared." He said the episode left him nervous about returning to the bar: "What's in there next?" He noted an urgent care center and an auto repair shop sit next door.

Not the first time

Similar mix-ups have happened before. In 2014, a Dickey's Barbecue Pit employee in Utah reportedly confused a lye-based fryer cleaner with sugar, and it ended up in sweet tea. Jan Harding, 67, suffered severe esophageal burns and spent nearly two weeks in the hospital, according to earlier reports.

In Elgin, Oklahoma, teacher Holly Hill was reportedly served a margarita containing an industrial degreaser in February 2023. Her family says the chemical damaged her esophagus and caused years of medical complications before her death in October 2025. The restaurant acknowledged the incident, while the family attributes her death to the injuries.

Those cases are different restaurants and different circumstances. They show how severe a swallowed degreaser can get.

What remains unknown

The failure here was basic. A chemical changed hands without a label, sat in a bar area, and was handed to a worker who treated it as food. The health district found nothing else wrong at the location, and Chili's says it has fixed the problem.

The unanswered questions are about the people hurt. The district says it has no information on their conditions, and Chili's has not said whether it is covering their medical costs or what its own review changed.