A 25-year-old single mother of three, Nykia Hamilton, went viral in July 2025 for running a Burger King restaurant in Columbia, South Carolina, all by herself during a shift. According to the coverage, a coworker quit mid-shift and no replacement came in, forcing Hamilton to handle cooking, cleaning, registration, drive-thru, and every role in the store. The TikTok video showing her working alone for hours resonated deeply online — not just because of her stamina, but because it illustrated the acute staffing issues in the fast-food industry, especially in smaller franchises.

Hamilton later publicly spoke about how grueling the shift was and how much she sacrificed to care for her family. In interviews, she revealed that she often works 12-hour shifts, and that the demands of her job make it hard for her to spend time with her children. She expressed gratitude toward her general manager, saying that, despite her past (she has a criminal record), the manager gave her a chance to rebuild her life.

Yet, despite her viral fame and the praise she received online, Hamilton announced on August 8, 2025, that she had been fired. She said she was let go for “repeated attendance issues,” which she tied to her responsibilities as a single mom with no reliable childcare: “My kids come first. Y’all don’t pay for no babysitter or nothing,” she said in a tearful TikTok video.

Burger King corporate publicly confirmed her dismissal, but clarified that the decision was made by the franchise owner, not by the national company.The company also stated that it has a policy requiring more than one team member on every shift, and admitted that this policy was not followed at Hamilton’s location. Their response indicated concern, saying that no employee “should ever be left to run a restaurant alone.”

In response to her firing and the public outcry, many people rallied around Hamilton. A GoFundMe page she created raised well over $100,000 to support her and her children. These donations are meant to help with immediate needs like rent, childcare, and possibly launching a small business, as she mentioned in her fundraiser.

Hamilton’s story — from working a punishing solo shift to being terminated for being late because of her kids — has sparked a larger conversation about labor conditions in fast food, the vulnerability of single parents in low-wage jobs, and the structural challenges they face. The viral clip became symbolic: her hustle was celebrated, but the system that forced her into such a situation failed to protect her. Many commentators and labor advocates are using her case to highlight how staffing shortages, inflexible scheduling, and lack of support disproportionately harm working mothers.