Burger King Issues Statement After Single Mom Fired for Managing Restaurant Alone for 12 Hours

Burger King Responds After Viral Single Mom Firing

Fast food giant Burger King has responded after one of its former employees went viral shortly before being fired under controversial circumstances.

Nykia Hamilton Goes Viral

Earlier this week, Nykia Hamilton, a mom of three from Columbia, South Carolina, captured the public’s attention. A video showed her working alone at a Burger King branch in July, managing every station by herself — the front counter, the drive-thru, and the kitchen.

“She’s doing the fries, the burger, the chicken sandwiches. She’s doing everything by herself,” one customer said in the clip that went viral. “She’s doing everything she needs to do to make sure everybody is okay in here.”

Fired Over Being Late

The story took a harsh turn when Hamilton revealed she had been fired for showing up late due to childcare issues.

“[Burger King] fired me because I’ve been late because of my kids,” Hamilton explained on TikTok. “My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, or nothing. I’m already aggravated, I’m already depressed… so leave me alone.”

A GoFundMe page set up in response has raised over $108,000 so far.

Burger King Clarifies

Burger King issued a statement to the New York Post, confirming Hamilton’s dismissal.

“Terminations are the decision of the franchisees who own and operate the BK restaurant,” a spokesperson said. “In this situation, the franchisee confirmed that the individual involved is no longer employed due to repeated attendance issues.”

They also addressed the viral video of Hamilton running the restaurant alone.

“No team member should ever be left to run a restaurant alone, even for a short period of time,” the spokesperson added. “That’s not how we operate, and we’re disappointed that our policy, which requires more than one team member per shift, wasn’t followed.”

Ensuring Better Staffing

While the company couldn’t share further details on individual personnel matters, they emphasized their commitment to staffing and support.

“We’re focused on making sure every restaurant, whether company- or franchise-owned, has the team members and support needed to deliver the kind of experience our guests expect,” the statement concluded.