A Burger King employee who gained attention after being recorded managing an entire restaurant by herself for 12 hours has been dismissed, and many speculate on the reason why.
Nykia Hamilton was handling all tasks at the Burger King outlet in Columbia, South Carolina, when she became an online sensation.
A video shared on TikTok showed a customer praising the mother of three for her dedication, as none of her coworkers turned up for their shifts.
“[She’s] doing the fries, the burger, the chicken sandwiches. She’s doing everything by herself,” the customer noted in the video.
“She’s doing everything she needs to do to make sure everybody is OK in here.”
Despite her commitment, Nykia was later informed by management that she was being terminated due to lateness.
“[Burger King] fired me because I’ve been late because of my kids,” the 25-year-old explained to Watch Fox 57. “My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, or nothing.”
Sadly, prior to her dismissal, Nykia was juggling two jobs to support her three young children.
Burger King has not yet commented on Nykia’s dismissal, leading to various speculations about the true reason behind her termination.
One theory on Reddit suggested: “Well, she’s clearly embarrassing the company, so corporate had to fire her before she again reveals they underpay and understaff. What sucks is that it wasn’t even her doing for going viral.”
Another user added: “So she got fired for putting BK in a bad light which they created themselves by understaffing the restaurant?”
Though it remains speculative, Nykia’s conversations with the media following her viral moment might have influenced her dismissal.
“Note that she did nothing wrong, she wasn’t filming, she was just doing her job. And everyone else’s job,” someone remarked.
Another person commented: “A great parable of the times. If you go above and beyond: you barely justify your existence.”
Others pointed out that she herself mentioned the reason for her dismissal.
“She got fired for being late to work,” another user explained.
Someone else added: “She doesn’t dispute it, she just says how hard it is to work and raise kids.”
A GoFundMe page has been created to assist Nykia and her family.
The page states: “I am a 25-year-old single mom of 3 who works 2 jobs. 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.”
UNILAD has contacted Burger King for comment.