An employee at Burger King who went viral for running the whole restaurant on her own for 12 hours has revealed she was fired - and the internet is outraged on her behalf.
It all started after a video of Nykia Hamilton - shared on TikTok - showed her working solo at a Burger King in Columbia, South Carolina.
The mother-of-three was forced to run around the popular fast food joint while doing multiple jobs, including making food for customers at the front desk to the drive-thru counter of the store.
Needless to say, viewers felt for the lady. The clip quickly racked up 164.7K views on the social media platform, with many commenters voicing their support for her as she juggled several responsibilities.
"She is incredible, and she will be blessed!" one user praised Hamilton, while another applauded: "She needs a tip jar. This is unfair to her. She shouldn’t have to do this and run a whole business, restaurant, alone. Thank you for showing up and showing out, though. Thank you."
A third said: "That lady is amazing. I have been there, and that happens to her consistently. God bless her soul."
In an interview with WACH Fox 57, Hamilton explained that she was working by herself because there was a staff shortage due to someone leaving the company on short notice.
“Had to do the dishes, do prep, do the floor, do the front counter, drive-thru,” she said in an emotional interview. “I be missing out on my kids’ lives and I work a lot...I have to provide for them, but I really don’t have time to spend with them - and it hurts me a lot.”
She revealed that the day of the interview, she finally received some help after closing the restaurant by herself the night before.
“[My co-worker] has been here since 11 o’clock and will stay until close at 11,” she said. “We just don’t have any employees. Nobody wants to work anymore.”
Despite the heavy workload, Hamilton expressed gratitude for her manager, who gave her the opportunity, despite her past. “I wouldn’t have a job because I have a record, and it’s hard to find a job with a record. But by the grace of God, she gave me a job,” Hamilton said. “That’s the only reason why I stayed for her.”
After gaining attention on TikTok, the 25-year-old mom later shared an update, revealing that she had been fired by Burger King.
"[Burger King] fired me because I’ve been late because of my kids," she explained. "My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter or nothing."
She also opened up about how her sudden fame and the backlash she's faced have affected her mental health. "I’m already aggravated, I’m already depressed, all of this mental s***, and motherf****** f**king with me, so leave me alone," she said.
Since losing her job, Hamilton set up a GoFundMe, which has raised over $73,033 at the time of writing.
She wrote a message on the fundraiser page: “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. I wasn't expecting my life to change how it did. I really do everything for my kids."