{"id":1097,"date":"2026-10-30T10:26:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T10:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/?p=1097"},"modified":"2026-10-30T10:26:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T10:26:20","slug":"north-carolina-chilis-customers-suffer-chemical-burns-after-drinking-margaritas-in-nightmare-mix-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/?p=1097","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina Chili\u2019s customers suffer chemical burns after drinking margaritas in nightmare mix-up"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\tSee more of our coverage in your search results.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header><\/div>\n

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Not-so-happy hour.<\/p>\n

A round of margaritas turned into a nightmare at a North Carolina Chili\u2019s when bartenders mistakenly mixed a cleaning chemical into customers\u2019 drinks \u2014 leaving three customers with chemical burns.<\/p>\n

The mix-up happened Wednesday at the restaurant chain\u2019s Forest City location, when an employee preparing the bar for lunch service mistook a granulated degreaser for sugar.<\/p>\n

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Customers at a North Carolina Chili\u2019s suffered chemical burns after a cleaning product was mistakenly mixed into their margaritas. WLOS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The chemical had been brought to the dining chain two days earlier by a worker who received it from a contractor power-washing the building\u2019s exterior, according to the Foothills Health District<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The substance was placed in an unlabeled container and left in the bar area, where another employee found it Wednesday and mistook it for sugar while preparing margaritas.<\/p>\n

Three customers ordered the cocktails and \u201cimmediately experienced discomfort,\u201d suffering chemical burns in and around their mouths, the health agency said. <\/p>\n

The patrons alerted the restaurant staff before leaving to seek medical attention.<\/p>\n

Two employees then tasted the mystery substance in the container and developed similar symptoms.<\/p>\n

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A granulated degreaser left by a contractor ended up in the bar, where a worker mistook it for sugar and added it to cocktails. Chili’s<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure what degree of chemical burns they had, but they went to urgent care and were treated there,\u201d Foothills Health District spokesperson Megan Rollins said, according to ABC News13<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The bizarre incident has left at least one regular customer shaken and questioning whether he will return to the restaurant\u2019s bar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was beyond surprised and almost scared,\u201d Chili\u2019s regular Levonne Baker told the outlet.<\/p>\n

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The health district suspended the restaurant\u2019s permit before reinstating it after officials cleared its food safety practices. WLOS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Baker compared the ordeal to something out of a horror movie.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has made me a little nervous about going back to the bar because it\u2019s like what\u2019s in there next? I mean, am I going to be the next person who\u2019s going next door? And not for an oil change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A mechanic and an urgent care facility are located next door to the Chili\u2019s.<\/p>\n

The Foothills Health District launched an investigation and immediately suspended the restaurant\u2019s food service permit, ordering staff to thoroughly wash and sanitize affected food preparation areas, equipment and surfaces.<\/p>\n

The permit was reinstated by Thursday morning after environmental health specialists completed their investigation and determined the restaurant met \u201call applicable food safety requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis incident highlights the importance of proper chemical labeling, storage, and handling in food service establishments, as required by the North Carolina Food Code, to prevent chemical contamination and protect public health,\u201d Foothills Health District Director Jason Masters said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

See more of our coverage in your search results. Not-so-happy hour. A round of margaritas turned into a nightmare at a North Carolina Chili\u2019s when bartenders mistakenly mixed a cleaning chemical into customers\u2019 drinks \u2014 leaving three customers with chemical burns. The mix-up happened Wednesday at the restaurant chain\u2019s Forest City location, when an employee<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bd24.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}