Three customers at a Chili's restaurant in North Carolina suffered chemical burns after sipping margaritas that had been prepared with an industrial cleaning chemical that was mistakenly used instead of sugar.
The shocking mix-up unfolded at the popular restaurant chain's Forest City location on Wednesday leaving three unsuspecting diners with painful injuries in and around their mouths.
Two restaurant employees also suffered similar symptoms after tasting the substance themselves, bringing the total number of people affected to five.
Health officials say the incident began when a worker prepping the bar for lunch service unknowingly used a powerful degreasing chemical that had been left in an unmarked container.
The blunder prompted authorities to immediately suspend the restaurant's food service permit and launch an investigation into how a potentially dangerous cleaning product ended up being used to prepare cocktails.
For regular Chili's customer Levonne Baker, the incident sounded more like something from a horror movie than an ordinary trip to a neighborhood restaurant.
'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 with the Foothills Health District have now pieced together a troubling sequence of events that began two days before the customers were injured.
On Monday, October 26, a contractor had been power-washing the outside of the restaurant when an employee received a quantity of what officials described as a 'granulated degreasing chemical.'
Instead of being kept in a clearly marked chemical container and away from food and drinks, the substance was transferred into an unlabeled receptacle.
That container was then brought inside the restaurant and left in the bar area, according to preliminary findings released by health officials.
It remained there until Wednesday morning, when an employee preparing the bar for service discovered it.
The worker believed the granules were simply sugar and used the chemical while setting up the margarita station.
The mistake only became apparent after three customers ordered the popular tequila-based cocktails.
Within moments of sipping their margaritas, the diners 'immediately experienced discomfort,' according to the Foothills Health District.
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
They suffered chemical burns both inside and around their mouths, prompting them to alert restaurant workers before leaving to seek medical treatment.
Two workers then tasted the contents of the container in an effort to determine what had gone wrong. They too experienced 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.
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