Take a pinch of viral social media, add in some ground up human resources management, top it with a few brand reputation concerns, and slide in between two slices of franchising, and the result is the metaphorical burger of challenges that Burger King is facing.

Most of the fast food chain’s restaurants are owned and run by individual franchisees. But it is the corporate brand that is being subjected to increased scrutiny for the ways that it treats its frontline employees, in response to multiple, viral stories of hard-working people dedicating remarkable time and effort to their jobs. Although some of the stories appear heartwarming or inspirational on the surface, they also raise serious questions about fair, safe, and reasonable employment standards and expectations.

Consider the account of a long-time Burger King employee named Kevin Ford. When he announced his retirement, after almost 30 years of dedication to the company, records showed that Ford had never missed even a single day of work in all that time. In recognition of his lifetime of service and hard work, store management presented him with a gift: a cheap, hastily arranged goodie bag.

A video of Ford sifting through the contents of the bag quickly went viral. Ford seemed in good spirits in the video, grateful for even the small recognition, but viewers reacted with shock and anger on his behalf. The comments rolled in, and soon, participants on the GoFundMe platform initiated a fundraiser on his behalf. Generous donors provided Ford with nearly half a million dollars, which the hard worker used to buy a home, help his child and grandchildren pay off their homes, and pad his retirement fund—all outcomes that a full-time employee arguably should have been able to achieve through his wages.

A few months later, another viral event told a similar story, but this time, the 18-year-old worker in question was just starting out. Videos presented Mykale Baker working in a graduation gown; rather than miss a shift, he had come straight to work following his high school graduation ceremony. As he explained, he was intent on earning enough to afford college.

As with Ford, the video gained rapid attention, and a fundraising campaign soon followed. It raised about $45,000, enough for Baker to begin attending college and pursuing an engineering degree without further delay.

Many news outlets presented the account positively, as a testament to what strong community support can achieve. Yet the story raised important questions about the work culture created by Burger King, in which employees believe that even something as important as a graduation is not sufficient reason to take a day off. In this case too, the seeming desperation with which Baker sought to work prompted skepticism about the fairness of the wages being paid by the company.

The work culture again became the focus of criticisms when, just a few weeks later, videos circulated of Nykia Hamilton as she ran an entire Burger King location, totally by herself. Depicted working the cash register and the drive-through window, as well as the fry station and grill, while also cleaning up spills, Hamilton’s actions seemed nearly impossible, and yet she kept it up over a 12-hour shift. When interviewed later, Hamilton noted that it was a common occurrence at her Burger King store, where shifts often exceed 12 hours. The single mom also noted how often she was forced to miss out on special events and milestones with her children so that she could fulfill her assigned shifts.

Backlash was swift. The corporate entity responded in this case, noting that it was disappointed its franchisee had allowed any employee to be working a store alone, which is contrary to its labor policies. Yet no punishments or sanctions of the store owner were announced. Instead, news reports soon recognized that Hamilton had been fired by the franchise, which cited her for being late to work too often.

While Burger King’s executive leadership makes bold claims about the company’s appealing workplace culture, these viral anecdotes tell a much different story. Furthermore, Burger King’s workforce retention rates regularly fall among the lowest decile among businesses that operate at a similar scale.

Discussion Questions

1. Can public outcry force a large corporation to change their hiring and compensation practices? At what point does it serve the interests of leadership and shareholders to make a change?
2. To what extent and how can a corporate owner force franchisees to uphold certain employment standards?

Sources: Gerry Cupido, “Burger King Employee Who Went Viral for Not Missing a Day’s Work Buys House From GoFundMe Donations,” IOL, January 4, 2024; Jasmine Browley, “Internet Rallies Around Burger King Worker Who Worked on Graduation Day,” BET, May 30, 2025; Rudro Chakrabarti, “This South Carolina Mom of 3 Was Left to Run Entire Burger King by Herself for 12+ Hours. Then BK Responded,” Yahoo! News, July 12, 2025; Caitlin Hornik, “‘Burger King Mom,’ Who Went Viral for Running Busy Restaurant Solo, Has Been Fired,” The Independent, August 23, 2025.