Five people were burned around their mouths at a Chili’s restaurant in Forest City, North Carolina, after margarita glasses were rimmed with a granulated substance that had been mistaken for sugar, according to a local health official. Three customers and two employees were injured, and the substance was a degreaser rather than a food ingredient.
The New York Times, citing the health official, reported that the burns occurred on and around the mouths of the affected people after they drank the margaritas. The granulated material resembled sugar in appearance, and it was not intended for use on food or drinks. Staff used it to coat the rims of the glasses, which is the point at which the error reached customers.
NBC News reported that the customers had suffered chemical burns after sipping margaritas that had been mistakenly prepared with the cleaning chemical. ABC News also covered the incident, describing it as a margarita mix-up that left five people with burns. Reports from these outlets are consistent in describing the injuries as chemical burns and the cause as the substitution of degreaser for sugar.
The incident drew wide attention because it involved a national restaurant chain and affected both diners and workers. The injuries were concentrated around the mouth, the area in direct contact with the rimmed glass. The reports describe a single location in Forest City, a small city in Rutherford County, and place the event within the same reporting window in which the initial accounts were published on October 31 and November 1, 2026.
The episode underscores the risks of storing cleaning products in areas where food and beverages are prepared. Restaurant workers routinely handle sugar, salt and similar granulated seasonings for drink rims, and visually similar substances can be confused when containers are not clearly labeled or kept apart. Chemical burns of this kind can be serious when a caustic degreaser contacts skin and mucous membranes, which is why the health official’s account of the mouth injuries has drawn attention to the exposure route.
Coverage from ABC News, which aired a video report on the incident, framed the event as a margarita mix-up, a description that matches the accounts from The New York Times and NBC News. Across the three outlets, the central facts are the same: a cleaning product was used in place of sugar, the burns were confined to the mouth area of the people who drank the drinks, and the injured included both customers and staff.
Details that remain unconfirmed in the available reports include how the degreaser came to be placed where sugar was kept, what treatment the injured people received, and whether the restaurant has changed its handling procedures. The supplied sources do not provide statements from the restaurant operator or further comment from the health department beyond the account of the injuries and their cause.