Three Chili's customers suffered chemical burns after consuming margaritas that mistakenly had a cleaning product in them on Wednesday at the restaurant in Forest City, North Carolina.
The post VIDEO — North Carolina: Three Customers Suffer Chemical Burns from Contaminated Chili’s Margaritas appeared first on Breitbart.
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Warren Buffett hasn't had a glass of water since at least the 1970s.
That's what the 96-year-old business icon once told Bill Ackman, the billionaire hedge fund manager recalled during an episode of the Equity Mates Investing podcast that aired this week.
Ackman said that Buffett came over for dinner at his home "years ago," and he'd made sure to stock up on the legendary investor's favorite drink, Cherry Coke.
The Pershing Square founder and CEO said that once they were sitting at the table, he asked Buffett whether he'd like still or sparkling water. Buffett politely declined, opting for his preferred soda instead.
"But I said, you know, 'Don't you drink water?'" Ackman recalled. "And he said, 'Bill, I haven't had water in 48 years.'"
Ackman didn't immediately respond to a request for more detail about Buffett's hydration habits.
Not drinking water might sound unbelievable, but Buffett — who retired as Berkshire Hathaway's CEO after 60 years in charge last December, and as the company's chairman this September — is famous for drinking five cans of Coke daily.
He quipped in 2015 that he was "one-quarter Coca-Cola," as it accounted for 25% of his daily calories.
Buffett's love of soda goes back decades. During Berkshire's 1986 meeting, he declared that after "48 years of allegiance" to Pepsi, he was switching to Cherry Coke, saying it would be the meeting's official drink going forward.
Coca-Cola has also been one of Buffett's landmark investments. Berkshire hasn't touched its roughly 9% stake in the beverage giant since it finished building it in the mid-1990s. The position cost about $1.3 billion and was worth around $28 billion at the end of December — a roughly 21-fold gain.
Coke is only part of Buffett's iconic diet. He's known for grabbing McDonald's for breakfast on his drive to work, and munching on hot dogs, fries, popcorn, cookies, candy, ice cream, and other comfort foods.
His love of fast food and sweet treats extends to his investments. Berkshire counts See's Candies and Dairy Queen among its subsidiaries, and Kraft Heinz among its largest stock holdings.
Buffett's childlike tastes have led to issues in the past, including a disastrous sushi dinner in Tokyo.
Bill Gates and his then-wife, Melinda, went to great lengths to ensure the investor didn't starve when he joined them on a 17-day trip to China in 1995.
They organized for their hotel's chefs to be taught how to prepare hamburgers and fries, and when they climbed the Great Wall, they made sure to have Cherry Coke waiting for Buffett at the top.
Amanda Shammas
Fast food has long been considered a convenient, affordable meal option, but as the price of food continues to rise, even a simple order of burger and fries can quickly approach $20.
I wanted to find out how far that budget would stretch at some of the country's most recognizable fast-casual burger chains — and whether any of the meals would actually feel worth the price. So, within the same week, I visited Shake Shack, Five Guys, and Smashburger.
I ordered a similar meal at each restaurant and compared the taste, portion sizes, and overall value. Here's how it went.
Amanda Shammas
Unlike the other two chains I visited, Shake Shack is a publicly traded company. It began as a hot-dog cart in New York City's Madison Square Park before becoming a permanent kiosk in 2004.
Today, the chain has over 700 locations around the world. One recently opened near my house, so it seemed like the perfect time to give it a try.
Amanda Shammas
I ordered a single ShackBurger ($7.79), which came with an Angus beef patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and the chain's signature ShackSauce.
The patty was cooked well and had a nice sear, with thin, crispy edges. The cheese was also perfectly melted over the top.
I especially enjoyed the ShackSauce, which was creamy and tangy, and tasted like a blend of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise.
Amanda Shammas
As a side, I ordered the fries ($4.99). These were crinkle-cut, nicely salted, and crispy on the outside.
I usually prefer very thin fries, but these had a satisfying crunch that won me over and paired well with the burger.
Amanda Shammas
For dessert, I ordered a vanilla shake ($6.49). Although it had a pleasant, classic vanilla flavor, the consistency was thinner and more watery than I would have liked. To me, it seemed slightly overmixed.
Amanda Shammas
My burger, fries, and shake cost $19.27 before tax and tip. The meal wasn't particularly inventive, but everything tasted great, and I got a nice portion with dessert while staying within my budget.
Amanda Shammas
Although Five Guys is now a global chain, it remains a family-owned business. Jerry and Janie Murrell opened the first restaurant in Arlington, Virginia, in 1986.
Today, the restaurant has about 1,900 locations worldwide, including approximately 1,500 in the US.
Despite its popularity, I had never eaten there before, so I was curious to see how far my $20 would stretch.
Amanda Shammas
Unlike Shake Shack, Five Guys didn't serve its burgers with a standard set of toppings. Instead, I was instructed to build my own from a long list of included options.
I ordered a Little Cheeseburger ($9.25), which came with one beef patty, and I added lettuce, tomato, pickles, and ketchup. It arrived tightly wrapped in foil, which left it slightly squished.
The patty had lightly crispy edges, and I liked how the cheese melted into the meat. However, of the burgers I tried, this one reminded me the most of traditional fast food.
I couldn't quite pinpoint what created the familiar taste, but I think it was the combination of the salty, umami beef and the bun's slight sweetness.
In my opinion, the taste was reminiscent of something I'd get at McDonald's, which made the higher price harder to justify.
Amanda Shammas
I also ordered a Little Fry ($5.30), which arrived in a brown paper bag visibly stained with grease. According to the Five Guys website, this is because the fries are soaked in water and absorb less oil when cooked.
Despite being the smallest size on the menu, the portion was massive. Adding an extra helping of fries to each bag has been a Five Guys tradition since the chain opened. This explained the surprisingly large serving and made the price feel like a better value.
They tasted good, but much of their flavor came from how oily they were. I could see myself enjoying them as a late-night indulgence, but they were greasy enough that I worried eating too many would give me a stomachache.
Amanda Shammas
Because the burger and fries cost more than they did at Shake Shack, I couldn't fit a milkshake into my $20 budget. Instead, I ordered a Diet Coke ($3.30), bringing my total to $17.85 before tax and tip.
Although I spent less at Five Guys overall, I also received less variety for my money.
Amanda Shammas
Founded in Denver in 2007, Smashburger is owned by Jollibee Group, the Philippine-based restaurant company whose portfolio also includes Jollibee and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Smashburger's online directory currently lists 158 open and upcoming locations in the US, and four in Canada, making it the smallest of the three chains I visited.
I had eaten here before, but it had been years since my last visit, and I had little recollection of my experience.
Amanda Shammas
I ordered a single Classic Smash ($7.89), which came with an Angus beef patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, pickles, ketchup, and signature Smash Sauce.
I appreciated that all of my preferred toppings came standard, so I didn't have to customize anything. I also loved the addition of a signature sauce, which was creamy and tangy and gave the burger another layer of flavor.
The beef itself tasted especially fresh, with a clean, pronounced flavor that wasn't too salty or greasy. The patty could have had more pronounced lacy edges, but the seared crust still added a slightly charred finish. The cheese was nicely melted, and the soft, pillowy bun reminded me of a potato roll.
I paired my burger with the SmashFries ($4.19), which were thin, shoestring-style fries tossed in a blend of rosemary, garlic, and olive oil.
Amanda Shammas
To round out my meal, I ordered a vanilla milkshake ($6.49). It was noticeably thicker than the one I received at Shake Shack and came with a spoon.
It had a creamy, milky flavor, but otherwise tasted like fairly standard vanilla ice cream. It wasn't especially memorable, but I enjoyed the consistency.
My burger, fries, and shake cost $18.57 before tax and tip, allowing me to get a complete meal with dessert while staying comfortably within my budget.
Amanda Shammas
Before tax and tip, I spent $19.27 at Shake Shack, $17.85 at Five Guys, and $18.57 at Smashburger.
Shake Shack gave me a complete meal with dessert within my budget. Nothing stood out as especially memorable, but it felt like a solid, reliable option at a reasonable price.
Five Guys had the lowest total and provided by far the most fries. However, its more expensive burger left no room in my budget for a shake, and the greasy fries and standard burger didn't feel worth the price. Although I spent less overall, I felt like I received the least variety for my money.
For $0.70 less than Shake Shack, Smashburger gave me a burger, fries, and a thicker milkshake. Its burger tasted the freshest, and the thin, rosemary-seasoned fries were easily my favorite.
Ultimately, Smashburger made my $20 stretch the furthest without sacrificing taste. It offered the best meal, the most distinctive flavors, and the strongest overall value.
Business Insider reached out to Shake Shack, Five Guys, and Smashburger for comment.
Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider
When you think of vintage desserts, various ingredients suspended in Jell-O might come to mind. But a Chicago hotel serves one 1893 recipe that will be a lot more familiar to today's tastes: the brownie.
The Palmer House hotel, which is still open today, developed the first-ever brownie in its kitchen as part of the preparations for the World's Columbian Exposition, or Chicago's 1893 World's Fair. The decadent dessert was inspired by a Gilded Age socialite's quest for a treat that could be easily transported.
As a brownie enthusiast, I wanted to try this legendary recipe on a visit to the hotel last year — and I discovered the dessert was rich in both history and chocolate.
Chicago History Museum/Getty Images
When the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 decimated the city's downtown, the Palmer House hotel had been open for less than a year.
Its swift reopening in 1873, when Gilded Age wealth rushed to rebuild the city, became a symbol for a city rising from the ashes.
Today, it operates as a Hilton hotel.
Chicago History Museum/Getty Images
Beyond boosting the local economy, Chicago leaders hoped the event would show the world that the growing city had fully recovered from the 1871 fire.
The fair, which was held from May until October 1893, showcased international developments in technology, art, and transportation on the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas and attracted over 27 million people to the city, per Choose Chicago.
Chicago History Museum/Getty Images
The Palmer House owners, Potter and Bertha Palmer, were one of the wealthiest families in the Midwestern city during the Gilded Age.
In 1893, Bertha Palmer served as president of the fair's Board of Lady Managers, which gave wealthy women a voice in constructing and decorating the fair's Women's Building, showcasing the achievements of American women, among other tasks.
As part of her role, Bertha Palmer asked the hotel's chef to create a dessert that would be easy to transport in a lunchbox for the other society women serving on the fair's board.
Courtesy of Hiltons of Chicago
Although she didn't call it a brownie — the name wouldn't come until 1898, per the hotel — Bertha Palmer's dessert, which she directed to be "more unique than a piece of pie or cake" and "like a cookie, but denser and more decadent with chocolate," per the Hilton website, set the foundation for what is today one of America's favorite desserts.
While the chef's name wasn't preserved alongside the dessert's origin story, their creation lives on.
The original brownie recipe, which is available on the hotel's website, uses precise measurements of 60% dark couverture chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder.
The final brownie is covered with finely chopped walnuts and a glaze made with apricot preserves and unflavored gelatin.
Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider
The brownie made using the original 1893 recipe is available to guests dining at the downtown hotel's Lockwood Restaurant and for those stopping by the hotel café, where it is sold as a grab-and-go dessert.
Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider
The brownie, which cost $13, was served with a rich chocolate topping, strawberries, and a side of brownie crumbs.
When I took my first bite, I was surprised; it tasted very different from other brownies I've had in the past.
It was chocolatey, rich, and nutty, with a tart-like and fudgy texture that felt almost gritty at times.
Rather than being cake-like, I thought the original recipe leaned a lot more on the dark chocolate. Looking at the recipe's ingredient list, I was surprised by how little flour it actually contained.
Compared to even modern brownie recipes, where cocoa powder is often used to replace melted chocolate, this recipe places greater emphasis on liquid ingredients like dark, cocoa-heavy couverture chocolate, eggs, and butter, and uses a lot of granulated sugar.
The apricot glaze on top also added an unexpected fruity taste to the decadent dessert, making it more dimensional and luxurious than other versions I've tried.
Compared to boxed brownie mixes, Bertha's Brownie felt like an entirely different dessert.
Courtesy of Hiltons of Chicago
In addition to serving the original brownie, the Palmer House has other menu items inspired by the 1893 creation.
The hotel's Lockwood Restaurant serves Bertha's Brownie Pancakes topped with brownie crumbs at breakfast and a rye Brownie Old Fashioned garnished with a mini brownie on its drinks menu.
Kristine Villarroel/Business Insider
If you asked me to name a fancy dessert, I would probably think of elaborate concoctions like baked Alaska or meticulous recipes like French macarons before a brownie, but the Palmer House brownie might just change that.
More than a sophisticated take on a classic, the recipe is a classic of its own and stands apart from other brownies I've tried.
Eating the brownie felt like biting into a piece of history, and I'll probably be thinking about it until the next time I'm in Chicago.
Multiple customers at a Chili's Grill & Bar reported experiencing chemical burns Wednesday after consuming margaritas that had been prepared with an industrial cleaning chemical that was mistaken for sugar or salt.
The Foothills Health District said the incident unfolded at a restaurant in Forest City, North Carolina.
Three customers consumed the contaminated margaritas, while two restaurant employees also reportedly experienced symptoms after exposure to the chemical, according to the health district.
ROACHES CAUGHT CRAWLING ACROSS POPULAR STEAKHOUSE'S KITCHEN FLOOR IN VIRAL EMPLOYEE VIDEO
According to preliminary findings, the mix-up began Monday when an employee received an industrial degreaser from a contracted worker and placed it in an unmarked container.
The container was then brought inside the restaurant and left in the bar area.
Two days later, an employee preparing the bar for lunch service discovered the unlabeled container and, believing its contents to be sugar or salt, used the chemical to prepare the margarita station, the health district said.
Shortly after the restaurant opened, three customers consumed the contaminated beverages and "immediately experienced discomfort and chemical burns in and around their mouths."
After the customers alerted staff, two employees also tasted the substance and reported similar symptoms.
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Chili's said the company took immediate action to support those affected.
"We are aware of an isolated incident at our 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 avoid any further injuries. We are actively investigating the circumstances related to this incident as the health and wellbeing of our guests and Team Members remain our top priority," the company said.
The company’s account differed from the Foothills Health District’s preliminary findings, which said three customers experienced chemical burns after consuming the margaritas.
After the Foothills Health District launched an investigation, the restaurant's food service permit was immediately suspended.
It was quickly reinstated on Thursday after specialists determined the restaurant met all other food safety standards.
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The health district used the incident to remind all food service establishments in North Carolina that chemicals must be properly labeled and stored away from food-handling areas.
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"This 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," Jason Masters, the health director of Foothills Health District, said in a statement.
The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is investigating mysterious freezer and refrigerator malfunctions that spoiled food at military bases across the U.S. amid concerns the outages may have been caused by a cyberattack.
Army CID’s Cyber Field Office is working with the Defense Commissary Agency and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service to determine what caused the refrigeration failures at military commissaries in August, an Army CID spokesperson confirmed to Fox News.
Investigators are also working with French law enforcement to understand a series of refrigeration outages in Europe as authorities examine whether the incidents could be connected.
FRENCH SUPERMARKETS FACE MILLIONS IN LOSSES AFTER CYBERATTACK HITS REFRIGERATORS NATIONWIDE
The story was first reported by Reuters.
In late August, at least six commissaries, on-base stores where military personnel buy food, suddenly experienced refrigeration malfunctions.
Fort Huachuca in Arizona said in an Aug. 26 Facebook post that its refrigeration units "went into defrost mode" overnight.
"ALL freezers went into defrost mode – ALL frozen food has spoiled," the base said.
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Other affected facilities include F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island, Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, Travis Air Force Base Commissary in California and Fort Irwin in California.
In at least one case, refrigeration units were set to higher temperatures overnight rather than simply turning off, Reuters reported.
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Several weeks ago, a cyberattack targeted hundreds of French supermarkets, with hackers manipulating refrigerators to reach temperatures of 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature spike spoiled large quantities of food and sparked fires across Europe.
The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed the cyberattack, describing it as a "large-scale" assault that affected several major food retailers across the country.
Fox News Digital's Robert McGreevy contributed to this report.
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