A former Burger King employee has revealed the ‘real’ reason she was fired from the fast-food chain after going viral for running the store alone for 12 hours.
Nykia Hamilton’s story was seen across the web last month after she managed all stations of a Burger King restaurant in Columbia, South Carolina.
The mother-of-three managed everything, including the front desk and the drive-thru counter of the store.
“[She’s] doing the fries, the burger, the chicken sandwiches. She’s doing everything by herself,” one customer said in a TikTok clip, as per the New York Post.
“She’s doing everything she needs to do to make sure everybody is OK in here.”
Hamilton explained to WACH Fox 57 that she was working by herself because there was a staff shortage due to someone exiting the company with short notice.
Shortly after, Hamilton revealed how she had been fired by Burger King despite being a lone wolf in the restaurant for such a long period of time.
Hamilton was recently fired by Burger King (WACH Fox 57)
“[Burger King] fired me because I’ve been late because of my kids,” the 25-year-old said on TikTok. “My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, or nothing.”
Hamilton has been speaking to the press following her newfound fame, including the Daily Mail, where she revealed it was ‘attendance issues’ that saw her getting the boot.
She struggled to find childcare for her young children during shifts, which would sometimes stretch to as long as 12 hours.
The mother has set up a GoFundMe after being urged to by her fans, and a whopping $132,000 has been raised so far.
“This has all been so surprising. I didn’t expect this support and love from people. I really appreciate it… It means a lot to me and my children,” Hamilton told the Mail as donations continue to pour in.
While she has put some money aside for her children, Hamilton is planning to buy a home with her new fortune.
Hamilton is planning to put the money to good use (WACH Fox 57)
And the mother is also weighing up her next career move, after being offered a job by Target. Hamilton claims she has also been offered gigs in hospitality, insurance sales and distribution.
Despite a lot of support, Hamilton has been targeted by a wave of trolls online.
She added: “I didn’t ask for this support; I was advised to set up the GoFundMe. I try to ignore the negativity, because I know myself and my heart and what I do for my kids, but it has affected my son.
“He’s made because he knows I’m a great mom and I have a big heart. But I told him that we live in a world of negativity, so you have to take the positives and keep pushing.”
A Burger King spokesperson told: “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.
“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.
“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.”