North Carolina — Chili's Margarita Mix-Up Burns Five People

Five people were burned at a Chili's restaurant in North Carolina after an employee mixed cleaning powder into margaritas instead of sugar, health officials said, according to ABC News.

Three of those hurt were customers who drank the margaritas. The other two were restaurant employees. All five suffered chemical burns, health officials told ABC News. The network did not name the specific city or county where the Chili's location is, nor did it identify the health agency that confirmed the burns.

What happened at the restaurant?

According to the ABC News report, an employee preparing margaritas grabbed a container of cleaning powder by mistake instead of sugar, and that powder ended up in drinks served to customers. The mix-up led directly to the burns suffered by both the customers who drank the margaritas and the employees involved in handling the ingredients.

How many people were hurt, and how badly?

Health officials described the injuries as chemical burns. The report did not specify burn severity, hospitalization status, or whether any of the five required ongoing medical treatment.

By the numbers:

• 5 — total people burned
• 3 — customers affected
• 2 — employees affected

What caused the mix-up?

ABC News reported the cause as a mistaken substitution: cleaning powder in place of sugar during margarita preparation. The report did not identify the brand or type of cleaning product involved, nor did it detail how the two substances came to be stored or accessed in a way that allowed the error to happen.

What happens next for the restaurant?

The ABC News report, posted November 2, 2026, did not include details on any citations, fines, or corrective actions taken against the restaurant, nor did it say whether the location was temporarily closed. It also did not name the parent company's response or confirm which Chili's franchise group operates the location.

When did this happen?

The timeline available from the source material is limited to a single publication date. ABC News published its video report on the incident on November 2, 2026. The report does not state the exact date the burns occurred, only that health officials confirmed the cause after the fact. No earlier local reporting, inspection records, or statements from Chili's corporate ownership were included in the source material reviewed for this report.

HTT News will update this report if additional details on the location, the health agency involved, or the condition of those injured become available through official sources.