Chili’s customers in North Carolina suffer burns after margaritas were mistakenly made with cleaning chemical

A Chili’s Grill & Bar in North Carolina is back in business after three customers and two employees suffered chemical burns to their mouths after sipping margaritas mistakenly made with a cleaning chemical last week.

The Forest City restaurant was closed Thursday after customers, who ordered the drinks shortly after the restaurant opened for lunch, “immediately felt discomfort and chemical burns in and around their mouths,” the Foothills Health District said in a statement.

“Two restaurant employees later tasted the substance and reported similar symptoms,” the FHD statement said.

It was reopened the next day after local health inspectors discovered that an employee “preparing the bar for lunch service discovered the unlabeled container and, believing its contents to be sugar, used the chemical to prepare the margarita station.”

Chili’s, according to its menu, offers several margaritas made with a “citrus-sugar rimmer” in addition to traditional salt.

FHD spokeswoman Megan Rollins said in an email that the investigation is closed and no fines have been issued. She said the injured received medical treatment but had no information about their condition.

A Chilean spokesperson said in an email that it was a “Isolated incident at a single restaurant in Forest City, North Carolina that resulted in injuries to two of our guests and team members.”

“Our team took immediate action to support those affected and prevent further injuries,” the spokesperson said. “We have thoroughly investigated the circumstances and resolved the issues specific to this location.”

The spokesperson did not respond to a follow-up question from NBC News seeking an explanation as to why the count of injured customers was different from those previously provided by the FHD.

This Chili’s is located about 60 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina.

On the morning of October 26, according to the FHD release, “a restaurant employee received a granular degreaser chemical from a contract worker who was power washing the exterior and placed it in an unlabeled container.”

For unclear reasons, “the container was brought inside the restaurant and left in the bar.”

Two days later, these chemicals were inadvertently added to margaritas.