A South Carolina woman who went viral in July after being left to fend for herself as the only employee working at a local Burger King is now out of a job.
Nykia Hamilton, a mother of three, was recorded on video in July by a customer who noticed she was running every station of the restaurant all by herself. Less than two months after that video went viral, Hamilton took to TikTok to tearfully announce that she’s been fired from her job.
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“[Burger King] fired me because I’ve been late because of my kids,” she explained in her post. “My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, or nothing.”
‘I wasn’t expecting my life to change how it did’
Shortly after the video showing Hamilton working all on her own went viral, she told local reporters the situation occurred after another employee had unexpectedly quit, leaving Hamilton without a replacement.
“One of my employees just quit on me, and they didn’t have anyone else to come in, so I had to work by myself and close by myself,” Hamilton explained in an article for the New York Post. Her responsibilities included handling dishes, food preparation, cleaning and managing both counter and drive-thru service — all at the same time.
Before her firing, Hamilton said she was working 12-hour shifts to support her family, with her schedule exacting a heavy personal toll.
“I be missing out on my kids’s lives when I work so much,” Hamilton told WACH FOX. “I have to provide for them, but I really don’t have time to spend with them, and it hurts me a lot.”
But Hamilton also expressed concern about finding another job due to her life circumstances. “I wouldn’t have no job because I do have a record, and it is hard to find a job with a record,” she said.
Since her termination, Hamilton has launched a GoFundMe to try to raise money to help support herself and her children. And while thousands of people have given donations, several also shared their support with kind words.
“You can clearly run a business, I hope you do! To start with, though, have a bit more time with the babies and think about what you really want to do,” one donor shared on the GoFundMe page. “As a single mom and even former Burger King employee, I am sending you a ton of love. Keep your head up, mama,” wrote another.
With more than $125,000 raised, Hamilton has expressed gratitude for the generous donations her and her family have received.
“Thank y’all for the support,” she said. “I wasn’t expecting my life to change how it did. I really do everything for my kids.”
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Burger King responds
When Hamilton posted on TikTok revealing that she’d been fired, a Burger King spokesperson shared a comment with the New York Post.
“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.”
That spokesperson, however, also expressed concern that a Burger King location was left in a situation where a single employee had to manage everything independently.
“No team member should ever be left to run a restaurant alone, even for a short period of time,” said the spokesperson. “That’s not how we operate, and we’re disappointed that our policy, which required more than one team member to work per shift, wasn’t followed.”
“While we can’t share more on individual personnel matters, we’re focused on making sure every restaurant, whether company or franchise-owned, has the staffing and support needed to take care of our team members and deliver the kind of experience our guests expect.”
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