A South Carolina single mom who went viral last month for running an entire Burger King store by herself has been fired from the gig over “attendance issues” — which she claims come from ensuring her “kids come first.”
Nykia Hamilton, a 25-year-old mother of three, garnered online fame in July after a customer filmed her hustling from station to station alone inside the Columbia, SC, fast-food joint to ensure hungry customers were fed amid a staffing shortage, according to a TikTok video posted on July 6.
But just over a month after the footage was released, Hamilton said she was fired from the burger franchise for being late to take care of her kids.
“Bruh [Burger King] fired me because I’ve been late because of my kids,” she said in a tearful TikTok video posted Aug. 8.
“My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter, or nothing,” she said.
“My mind is already f–kked 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 continued.
Hamilton usually worked more than 12 hours in a shift at Burger King to support her three children, and said her duty as a parent to provide for them didn’t stop just because she was left alone.
“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,” she said.
She also revealed the emotional toll of working long shifts while trying to raise her three kids.
“I be missing out on my kids’ lives when I work so much,” Hamilton said, fighting back tears. “I have to provide for them, but I really don’t have time to spend with them, and it hurts me a lot.”
The super-mom said she had help the following day, but her Burger King was still understaffed and she ended up running solo on another closing shift.
“I closed again by myself last night. I finally got help today. Eleven o’clock and will stay until close at 11,” she said. “We just don’t have any employees. Nobody wants to work anymore.”
Hamilton said she’s deeply grateful for the opportunity to work and provide for her kids since turning over a new leaf in life.
“I wouldn’t have no job because I do have a record, and it is hard to find a job with a record,” she said.
“And by grace of God, she gave me a job. So that’s the only reason why I stayed for her,” Hamilton added, referencing her manager.
Burger King has since confirmed Hamilton was fired from the franchise.
“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,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to The Post Wednesday.
“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 statement continued.
“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.”
Supporters on her video have since urged others to continue donating to her GoFundMe, which has raised $81,137 to help the single mom.
Hamilton did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
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