The young mother who was hailed as America’s hardest-working woman for running an entire Burger King on her own has been fired from the job.
Nykia Hamilton, a 25-year-old from West Columbia, South Carolina, gained widespread attention last month after a video of her diligently working at the Burger King on Broad River Road went viral. In the clip, she is seen moving swiftly between various tasks to keep up with customer orders as a slow-building queue formed.
But on August 8, Hamilton revealed she has since lost her job over ‘attendance issues,’ which she claims comes from taking care of her children.
‘Bruh [Burger King] fired me because I’ve been late because of my kids,’ she said as tears rolled down her face.
‘My kids come first,’ she continued, arguing that the job does not allow her to ‘pay for no babysitter or nothing.’
‘I’m trying to keep going for my kids, but I cannot do this s*** anymore,’ Hamilton expressed, highlighting her struggles with depression. ‘The devil’s been on my back… I swear he’s won,’ she added.
She has previously said the job that she was once grateful for makes her miss out on her three children’s lives.
‘I have to provide for them, but I really don’t have time to spend with them – and it hurts me a lot,’ she told WACH News.
Nykia Hamilton, 25, of West Columbia, South Carolina revealed she has lost her job at Burger King over ‘attendance issues’
A month ago, she was celebrated as one of America’s most diligent workers when footage surfaced showing her managing kitchen duties, the drive-thru, food preparation, and cleaning entirely solo (pictured).
Working shifts that stretched over 12 hours at the fast food establishment, the viral video showcased Hamilton handling all responsibilities in the kitchen, drive-thru, food prep, and cleaning alone.
‘Y’all need to get her some assistance here because she’s working so hard,’ the customer emphasized in the video. ‘She’s doing all she can to ensure everyone is well-served here.’
The clip rapidly amassed over 100,000 views, igniting a wave of criticism over fast food employment conditions. Many commenters called for accountability at the franchise level, spotlighting staffing shortages that disproportionately impact the most vulnerable workers, such as single parents.
One person online wrote in response: ‘Shame. Low wages, customers are dangerous and disrespectful – I feel for her.’
‘This is a worker who deserves a RAISE,’ wrote another. ‘She didn’t lock the door or walk out! She needs that job!’
A third chimed in: ‘This is just such a sad world we live in.’
‘She needs a tip jar,’ wrote another. ‘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.’
While hundreds praised Hamilton for her incredible work ethic – some sharing personal stories of her kindness and dedication – many were left wondering why she was regularly running the entire show by herself.
Earlier this month, a customer waiting for their food at the Burger King posted a video to TikTok showing Hamilton completely alone, hustling between stations to prepare each order while a line of customers slowly formed (pictured)
Hamilton (pictured) explained that unreliable staff and the abrupt resignation of a team member left her to manage the entire restaurant by herself – more than once
Hamilton explained that unreliable staff and the abrupt resignation of a team member left her to manage the entire restaurant by herself more than once.
‘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.
‘Had to do the dishes, do prep, do the floor, do the front counter, drive-thru,’ she added, emphasizing how overwhelming it becomes when she’s forced to take orders at the counter and from drivers outside – all while preparing every meal on her own.
The day after the video was shared, nothing had changed. Hamilton once again closed the entire restaurant single-handedly, ensuring the floors were mopped and the place spotless before locking up.
‘We just don’t have any employees,’ the mother told WACH. ‘Nobody wants to work anymore.’
Although Hamilton (pictured) is no stranger to working alone, she stays largely because of her manager, whom she deeply respects for giving her a chance to prove herself as a hardworking employee
Despite the stress, Hamilton said she stayed in the job because of her manager, whom she deeply respects for giving her a chance to prove herself despite her criminal record.
‘I wouldn’t have no job because I do have a record, and it is hard to find a job with a record,’ Hamilton told the outlet.
‘And by grace of God, she gave me a job,’ she added. ‘So that’s the only reason why I stayed for her.’
In response to the situation, Hamilton received help running the Burger King just days later during the grueling 11am to 11pm shift, according to the outlet.
The fast food giant has since confirmed to the New York Post that Hamilton was let go.
‘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,’ a spokesperson for the company said.
But the spokesperson also expressed their outrage at the video showing Hamilton running the entire restaurant alone.
‘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 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,’ the spokesperson added.
Hamilton works more than 12-hour shifts at the Burger King on Broad River Road to support her three children (pictured) – a job she said she was grateful for, especially after overcoming a challenging past that includes a criminal record
Following last month’s viral TikTok, hundreds of people urged Hamilton to start a GoFundMe, hoping to help her raise money so she could ease her workload and spend more time with her children.
Listening to the outpouring of support, Hamilton eventually set up a donation page, thanking everyone for their kindness – whether they chose to contribute or simply offered their encouragement.
‘I am a 25-year-old single mom of three who works two jobs,’ she wrote in the description.
‘I just went viral for working on TikTok,’ she added. ‘If you wanna contribute, it’s ok. Thank y’all for the support.’
Hamilton then reiterated that she really does ‘everything for my kids’
As of Wednesday, the online fundraiser had raised over $86,000 for Hamilton’s family.
