Customers at a Burger King in Columbia, South Carolina, were stunned when one worker was seen handling every part of the restaurant alone.
The 25-year-old mom-of-three, Nykia Hamilton, flipped burgers, bagged meals, poured drinks, worked the register, and even managed the drive-thru during a 12-hour shift when no one else showed up.
A customer recorded her determined effort and posted it online. The video quickly spread, turning Hamilton into a viral sensation and sparking widespread debate about working conditions in fast-food chains.
Hamilton later shared how difficult balancing work and family had been. “I be missing out on my kids’ lives when I work so much,” she explained, saying the long shifts left her torn between being a mom and being a provider.
But the story took an unexpected turn when Hamilton revealed she was fired shortly after the incident. On August 8, her manager told her she was being let go.
“Burger King fired me because I’ve been late because of my kids,” she said in an interview. “My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, or nothing.”
The news set off speculation that the viral attention embarrassed the company, forcing them to act. On Reddit, users questioned whether her sudden fame had backfired by putting Burger King’s staffing practices under the spotlight.
Now, the company has addressed the controversy. “No Team Member should ever be left to run a restaurant alone, even for a short period of time. That’s not how we operate, and we’re disappointed that our policy, which requires more than one Team Member to work per shift, wasn’t followed,” Burger King said in a statement.
The company also clarified that Hamilton’s dismissal was not related to the viral video. “Terminations are the decision of the franchisees who own and operate the BK restaurant. In this situation, the franchisee confirmed that the individual involved is no longer employed due to repeated attendance issues.”
Burger King added that it is working to ensure proper staffing at all its restaurants. “While we can’t share more on individual personnel matters, we’re focused on making sure every restaurant, whether company or franchise-run, has the staffing and support needed to take care of our Team Members and deliver the kind of experience our Guests expect.”
Despite the setback, Hamilton has received overwhelming support. She set up a GoFundMe, writing, “I am a 25-year-old single mom of 3 who works 2 jobs. I just went viral for working on TikTok. If you wanna contribute, it’s OK. Thank y’all for the support.”
The fundraiser has already drawn in more than $100,000 from thousands of people eager to help her and her children.
Hamilton says she never asked for the spotlight but is grateful for the kindness shown to her. “I wasn’t expecting my life to change how it did. I really do everything for my kids.”
Featured image: (Facebook/Youtube)
