When Nykia Hamilton turned up to work a shift at Burger King only to find herself on her own, she rolled up her sleeves and ran the whole show.
Clips of her valiant effort soon went viral online, with the 25-year-old mum of three covering the tills, drive-thru, kitchen, and front counter across a gruelling 12 hour workday.
Despite going viral for exhibiting an extraordinary work ethic in July 2025, in August 2025 she posted to TikTok to confirm that she had been let go by the fast food chain.
"[Burger King] fired me because I’ve been late because of my kids," said Hamilton in the video. "My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, or nothing."
Noting the stress of viral fame, she added: "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.
Having reached out to Burger King about Hamilton’s solo shift and later dismissal, a Burger King spokesperson told FOODBible: “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.”
You could argue that two people wouldn’t be sufficient for running a fast food franchise all day, either. Anyone who’s worked a short-staffed shift in retail or hospitality will know even being down by one crew member can make your day considerably harder.
Burger King continued: “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.”
While credit and appreciation from her from her former employer seems in pretty short supply, the public has pulled together to support Hamilton.
Having launched a GoFundMe page, Hamilton has racked up over $91,000 dollars in donations.
"I am a 25-year-old single mom of 3 who works 2 jobs,” she wrote on the page’s description. “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."
As the donations have flooded in, so too have the messages of support.
“You deserve better than how Burger King treated you,” said one of her donors.
“Keep going dear!! I hope you raise enough to have a lot more time with your babies,” said another.
“As a single mom and even former Burger King employee, I am sending you a ton of love. Keep your head up mama,” added another.
Featured Image Credit: Manuel Milan/Getty ImagesTopics: Fast Food, Burger King, US Food, Social Media, News
Rachael Davis