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Burger King has confirmed that a South Carolina franchise terminated a worker who went viral in July for managing an entire restaurant alone during a staffing shortage.
Nykia Hamilton became an online sensation after a TikTok video showed her operating every station at a Columbia Burger King. She explained that coworkers had quit, leaving her to cover the drive-thru, front counter, dishes, prep work, and closing duties by herself.
“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 told WACH News. “Had to do the dishes, do prep, do the floor, do the front counter, drive-thru.”
Attendance issues lead to dismissal
Just weeks after the footage spread online, Hamilton said she lost her job. “Bruh [Burger King] fired me because I’ve been late because of my kids,” she said in another TikTok video. “My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, or nothing.”
Hamilton said her shifts often stretched longer than 12 hours as she juggled childcare for her three children. “I be missing out on my kids’ lives when I work so much,” she said. “I have to provide for them, but I really don’t have time to spend with them, and it hurts me a lot.”
She described the personal strain of balancing long hours with parenting. “My mind is already f*cked up. I’m trying to keep pushing for my kids but I cannot do this s**t no more. The devil been on my back bad …I promise you he won,” Hamilton said.
Company response and policy
Burger King confirmed her dismissal in a statement. “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.”
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The spokesperson added: “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.”
The company emphasized its focus on staffing support. “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.”
Hamilton said she was grateful her manager gave her a chance when others would not. “And by grace of God, she gave me a job. So that’s the only reason why I stayed for her,” she said.
Supporters rallied online and donated to a GoFundMe campaign, raising $81,137 to assist her.
