Several restaurant patrons in North Carolina have suffered chemical burns after a bartender mistakenly served them margaritas mixed with an industrial cleaning degreaser.
The poisoning occurred after staff transferred the toxic powder into an unlabelled container near the service bar, where it was mistaken for sugar, People magazine reported.
The sequence of events began on October 26, when contract workers arrived to clean the restaurant building. The maintenance crew used a heavy-duty powdered degreasing substance during the job.
After finishing their tasks, the contractors gave the remaining chemical powder to a restaurant employee. That employee placed the substance into a container with no labels or warnings and left it sitting beside the bar counter.
Cleaning powder mistaken for sugar
On October 28, a bartender arrived for work and assumed the contents of the unlabelled tub were ordinary sugar. When several patrons ordered margaritas, a cocktail recipe that incorporates sweetener, the bartender reached for the container and mixed the cleaning chemical directly into the alcohol.
Upon drinking the cocktails, the customers began complaining of severe burning sensations and acute pain in their mouths. They immediately alerted restaurant staff to their symptoms before leaving the venue to seek medical attention.
The source did not specify the current medical condition of the patrons who ingested the contaminated drinks.
Health inspection and deep cleaning
Shortly after the customers departed, two restaurant employees sampled the white powder themselves to determine what was in the drinks. Both workers developed similar burning symptoms and subsequently alerted the regional sanitary inspection authority.
Sanitary inspectors ordered the business to carry out an immediate, rigorous deep clean of the premises. Officials directed staff to thoroughly scrub and disinfect all work surfaces, kitchen equipment, and preparation zones that could have had contact with the chemical.
Health inspectors completed their review of the restaurant by the morning of October 29. After verifying that sanitisation measures were in place, the oversight agency permitted the restaurant to reopen to the public.
Commercial chemical safety standards
Commercial degreasers are powerful alkaline chemical cleaners engineered to strip burnt grease, oils, and stubborn carbon deposits from industrial fryers, grills, and kitchen exhaust hoods. Ingestion of these caustic compounds can rapidly cause chemical burns, soft tissue ulceration, and severe damage to the mouth, throat, and gastrointestinal tract.
Food service safety codes and occupational health rules require restaurants to keep all hazardous materials in designated, clearly labelled containers. Industry standards mandate that cleaning products remain stored in separate chemical lockers far away from food preparation areas and drink bars to prevent accidental poisoning.
The margarita is one of the most popular tequila cocktails in the United States, typically prepared by shaking tequila with orange liqueur, lime juice, and simple syrup or sugar before serving in a glass with a rim coated in salt or sweetener. In busy bar settings, bartenders rely on quick access to sweetening ingredients, making clear labelling essential to hospitality safety.
