Viral “Burger King Mom” Fired After Running Store Solo

The internet crowned her a hero. A single mom went viral after a customer filmed her running an entire Burger King by herself. We're talking everything: grill, fryer, counter, drive-thru, all of it. She didn't walk out; she rolled up her sleeves and did what needed to be done just to keep customers fed during a staffing shortage.

“Had to do the dishes, do prep, do the floor, do the front counter, drive-thru,” she said.

Now she says the franchise paid her back by firing her a few weeks later.

How she went viral

In the clip, 25-year-old Nykia Hamilton is hustling station to station with no one to help her. She told local TV she pulled 12-hour shifts to support her three kids and sometimes closed the store solo when no one else showed.

The video exploded on TikTok and X, turning the “Burger King mom” into a symbol of how wild fast-food staffing has gotten.

Burger King sends their "thanks" by firing her.

In an emotional TikTok posted Aug. 8, Hamilton said she was fired for “attendance” because she’d been late while trying to find childcare. “My kids come first,” she said. Supporters rallied in her comments and pushed donations to a GoFundMe to help cover bills.

Burger King responds

BK corporate says no team member should ever be left to run a restaurant alone, and calls that against policy. But they also said terminations are up to the franchise owner, who cited repeated attendance issues.

“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.”

So basically, an explanation with no accountability sounds about right.