Life

Burger King Employee Gets Goodie Bag As Bonus

Burger King Employee Gets Goodie Bag As Bonus July 26, 2022Leave a comment

He had been with the company for more than 27 years, and he was an exemplary employee who always gave his best. He believed he would receive a bonus or some other type of reward when the corporation wanted to thank him for his many years of service.

However, what he received made his eyes fill with tears. However, something amazing occurred when the world saw the video of him accepting the gift.

Nothing But A Gift Bag

YouTube / fox5ny

Kevin Ford was a hard worker, and he has never skipped a day of work in his 27 years of service. The place he works for in Las Vegas acknowledged his 27 years with a tiny gift bag.

The items in the bag were terribly disappointing and did little to atone for the lengthy time Kevin spent working there. The bosses brought a cake to commemorate the employee's hard work, and he too enjoyed a piece of it. They all had no idea what would happen next.

Doing It For Them

Unsplash

27 years ago, Kevin Ford began working at an airport at Burger King as a single father of two kids. He accepted the position in order to support them and make sure they had medical insurance.

He eventually got married and had two more kids, but he kept working there due to the "great health insurance" and other perks. He didn't enjoy his job, but he needed it. However, how long can a man endure working in a place he despises before losing his temper?

He Was Their Rock

Pixabay

At 54, Kevin was nearing retirement age, and though his children were grown, he was still working with no end in sight.

He was a proud grandfather, and he loved his family with all his heart. Everyone in the family could rely on him because he was its rock. He worked at the same job for a very long time because he needed to take care of his family. He didn't want to run the danger of losing it all.

Staying Strong

YouTube / NewsNationNow

Despite being close to retirement age, Kevin was still required to work because he couldn't find employment elsewhere. The 54-year-old man was unable to foresee any signs of stopping. He still had a demanding job to support his family.

The best he could do every day, regardless of whether he might be stuck at his job until retirement, was what Kevin always strived for. Would he have the strength to stay true to his principles?   

Acknowledgment

Wikimedia Commons / Michael Rivera / CC 4.0

As a token of appreciation, the gift bag was given to Kevin for his long career. A goodie bag was presented to him in appreciation for his 27 years of loyalty.   

A long career of hard work was rewarded with that recognition. His heart was broken, but he wasn't defeated. In the face of such adversity, he wouldn't give up.   

Mixed Reactions

Unsplash

When Kevin opened his gift, the business made the decision to videotape everything and turn it into a sweet moment they could post on social media. Candies, a Starbucks cup, pens, a keychain, and a movie ticket were all included in the goodie bag.

However, they did not anticipate the response they received. In all the wrong ways, the video went viral. Suddenly, Kevin was caught in the middle of a company in a state of confusion.   

They Were Not Pleased

Pixabay

After the video went viral on Twitter, so many people were disgusted at the company's treatment of Kevin. They couldn't believe their actions.

On social media, a clip of Kevin taking the bag with grace was shared. Many individuals weren't really pleased with what they felt was lackluster compensation for nearly three decades of labor. There had to be action taken.

He Needed To Speak Up

Instagram / Kevin Ford

However, Kevin happily accepted the gift and thanked his superiors for the bag. He was a kind man who only cared about taking care of his family.

However, many believed that he deserved more than that and he should at the very least speak up about it. Could he really afford to risk losing his career to make a point?

Speaking Out 

Reddit - Colorized History

The plastic bag that contained the insulting gifts had an HMS Host sticker on it. HMS Host is the multimillion-dollar restaurant chain’s parent company. 

It wasn’t long before the video of Kevin’s underwhelming gifts made its way to a subreddit called ‘A Boring Dystopia,’ with the caption, “This man dedicated 27 years of service to Burger-King and wasn’t even rewarded with $27 worth of trinkets in his ‘Goodie Bag.’” Netizens couldn’t stop talking about it. 

Rising Costs Of Living

TikTok - Kevin Ford

In 1995, Kevin would have started on a minimum hourly wage of around $5,00 an hour. Now, in 2022, the average salary for a Burger King employee is around $9,86. 

If you take the rising costs of living into account, Kevin’s monthly salary barely touches sides, and he hadn’t moved far up the ranks during his 27 years as a loyal employee. And this was how Burger King had repaid him. 

Shame On Burger King

Getty Images

‘A pension would have been a lot better than a bag of Reese’s pieces,’ one Redditor commented. ‘Nobody bought anything. Those are the giveaway bags offered at special events or by hiring managers. Corporate buys that stuff by the case to give away,’ another user wrote, aghast. 

‘Burger King, like all other fast food places, are corporate thieves that will stop at nothing to profit from everyone, not to mention take advantage of young workers, which is why I don't ever eat at any of these places,’ one user sniped. 

Genuine Gratitude

Facebook

The video also went viral on TikTok, where Burger King received scathing criticism from viewers. Viewers were even more heartbroken by Kevin’s reaction to the gift bag - he was positive and genuinely expressed gratitude. 

Eventually, the video made its way to Kevin’s daughter, Seryna. She was heartbroken when she saw her hardworking father accepting the insulting gift after dedicating more than half his life to the company. She had to do something.

Helping Out

YouTube / NBC News / TODAY

One of the viewers of the video who was the most dissatisfied was Kevin's daughter. Seryna was adamant that her father needed better treatment.

She knew, even though he didn't show it, what was in his soul when she saw him opening the bag in the video. In spite of his devastation, he was powerless to do anything about it. His daughter then came up with a brilliant idea.   

Stepping In

GoFundMe / Seryna Ford

Seryna decided to set up a GoFundMe page for her father. He had worked so hard for so many years to make sure she and her sisters had gotten through high school and college. 

Now, she wanted to repay him. ‘My name is Seryna. The man in that video is my father. He has worked at his job for 27 years, and yes, he has never missed a day of work,’ she wrote on the GoFundMe page. 

GoFundMe

YouTube / NBC News / TODAY

‘He originally began working at this job as a single father when he gained custody of my older sister and me 27 years ago,’ Seryna continued.

‘Then, as our family grew and he remarried, he continued to work here because of the amazing health insurance that was provided through this employer because it was unionized. Which got all four of his daughters through high school and college with full healthcare coverage.’

Heart-To-Heart

GoFundMe / Seryna Ford

‘My dad continues to work here because though he does look young, he is coming up on retirement age, and leaving would cost him his retirement,’ Seryna explained.

‘In no way are we asking for money or is he expecting any money, but if anyone feels like blessing him, he would love to visit his grandchildren.’ She wasn’t expecting much – the goal was $200, so Kevin could buy a plane ticket to see his grandkids. Meanwhile, the controversial video continued to rack up millions of views.

Taken Advantage Of 

Getty Images

‘Why is this celebrated? Great guy, but give this guy two weeks off with pay at least,’ wrote one disgusted TikToker. Another pointed out that ‘the sad part is to see large corporations take advantage of good people like him.’

While most users were horrified by Kevin’s ‘goodie bag,’ some began to blame Kevin for his own situation – even going as far as to blame him for not leaving Burger King sooner and looking for another job.

Online Judgement

Instagram / tippitytopkek

‘Why would someone work at BK for 27 years? I understand that some people are in poverty, BUT 27 YEARS??? That’s more than enough time to look for something better,’ one user wrote. 

‘Idk, I just couldn’t imagine putting myself so low that I’d allow myself to work for such a degrading job. They shouldn’t have given him anything; this is insulting.’ Once one person had leveled judgment, other users began to dogpile too.

The Blame Game

Facebook / Kevin Ford

‘Why TF would anyone stay at BK for 27 years? That's the problem right there. You cannot do what this guy did and expect to succeed. You spend 27 years slinging low-quality reheated burgers; this is exactly what happens,’ another user commented. 

‘It's not rocket science The corporations don't care about you and have no loyalty to you; treat them likewise. A job like this should just be a rung on a ladder, not a career.’ But, of course, it wasn’t that simple for Kevin.

Slave To The Wage

GoFundMe / Seryna Ford

Kevin had stayed in his position with Burger King because it was unionized. He benefitted from great health insurance that extended to his children while they went to school as well. 

Of course, he had weighed up the pros and cons of working at Burger King, but in the end, he chose good healthcare coverage instead of a higher-paying salary. Burger King also had him under their thumb for his retirement – which he would lose if he left. And he’s not the only American in this predicament.

A Broken System

Getty Images

A recent survey by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants revealed that 80% of the American workforce would rather choose a job with healthcare benefits than a job offering a 30% higher salary. 

The rising costs of healthcare have also meant that those in a lower or middle-income bracket haven’t really seen a salary increase since the early 2000s. That’s because the rising cost of healthcare keeps eating into the raises they do get. Kevin certainly wasn’t to blame for being part of a broken system. But he had no idea things were about to change.

David Spade's Act

Shutterstock

Even celebrities joined in and helped the man. One of them was none other than David Spade, who pledged over 5000 dollars to the campaign. 

The funds kept growing to such an extent that Kevin's daughter had to adjust the goal several times. They had no idea Kevin's story would inspire so many people to donate. 

Overwhelmed

YouTube / NBC News / TODAY

Kevin's daughter had to up the goal multiple times the same day she started the campaign, and as of July 5, the donated amount sits at a staggering $358,470 — far more than the family could have ever hoped or dreamed of. 

"Y'all shattered the original goal, so I increased it!" Seryna wrote in an update on the donation page. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much." But this was just the beginning.

Forced Into A Corner

Facebook / [deleted]

Burger King had noticed the bad press they were getting and rushed to do some damage control. Knowing that a video like Kevin’s could really hurt their brand, they issued a formal statement to LADbible on the matter. 

“The Burger King brand and its many franchisees nationwide are committed to recognizing and celebrating the achievements of the thousands of people serving across a wide range of roles — all dedicated to providing our guests a world-class experience,” the statement said. But they were only making themselves look even worse.

Looking Even Worse

Flickr / Quinn Dombrowski

“Following review with this location’s franchisee, we’ve learned that this video depicts a Team Member in receipt of a peer-to-peer reward in recognition of a short-term positive performance/experience,” Burger King’s statement continued. 

“The franchisee offers its team members a robust employee recognition program, which includes the recognition of tenure milestones and monetary awards.” So, the paltry ‘goodie bag’ Kevin had gotten for 27 years of service wasn’t even from Burger King’s higher management – it was from a team member.

Just Doing His Job

YouTube / NBC News / TODAY

Kevin has been overwhelmed by how much support he's received from total strangers. "I've been crying for about two days now. It's just incredible."

"I just go to work, have fun, laugh, and make other people's day good. I've been in a dream for almost two days now. It's just so beautiful and awesome. It really is. For all those years, you feel unappreciated, but you get up just like everybody else. You do your job, and for somebody to show this type of appreciation is just overwhelming."

He Was Finally Appreciated

YouTube / NewsNationNow

Kevin got more than 8,000 donations from kind strangers. Finally, he was getting the recognition he deserved – but it was ironic that he wasn’t getting it from Burger King. 

“For all those years, you feel unappreciated, but you get up just like everybody else. You do your job, and for somebody to show this appreciation is just overwhelming,” he said on the TODAY show.

Thankful

YouTube / NBC News / TODAY

When Kevin was asked what he was going to do with all that money, he said his top priorities were visiting his daughter Seryna and her kids, as well as paying off some of his bills. 

Kevin hadn’t seen his granddaughters, who are six and eight, for four years. But the producers of the TODAY show had already taken care of that for him…

Surprise Reunion

YouTube / NBC News / TODAY

While he was doing his TODAY interview, Kevin was greeted by his daughter and granddaughters, who made a surprise appearance. Kevin Immediately burst into tears: "I haven't seen you guys in so long," he choked as he hugged his family.  

In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.