Overview

• Nykia Hamilton, a 25-year-old single mother of three in Columbia, SC, went viral in early July after a customer video showed her running a Burger King alone during long shifts.
• Hamilton posted on Aug. 8 that she was terminated for being late, saying her childcare responsibilities caused delays and that her children had to come first.
• A company spokesperson confirmed she is no longer employed and reiterated that repeated attendance issues were cited by the franchise that operates the restaurant.
• The spokesperson also said no team member should ever be left to run a restaurant alone and expressed disappointment that the multiple-staff-per-shift policy was not followed.
• The firing drew online backlash with boycott calls and support for Hamilton’s GoFundMe, which has raised more than $86,000 as of Wednesday.