*A Burger King employee of 27 years went viral on TikTok after receiving a measly gift bag on his work anniversary.
The donations for Kevin Ford are reportedly pouring in on GoFundMe after video went viral on Twitter showing the gift bag he received in recognition of his 27 years with the fast-food chain. It appears as if the bag was filled with candy.
“Some people got nothing, so I was just happy to get anything,” Ford said in an interview.
Ford has never missed a day of working as a cook and cashier at the Burger King in the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. In a TMZ interview, Ford admitted to feeling “let down” by the bag of treats, as previous employees received monetary gifts.
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So awesome talking to Kevin Ford.
After working at Burger King for 27 years – without missing one day of work – they gave him a candy goody bag.
But the internet wasn’t happy about that – and has raised $141,000 so far. He says he’ll use the money for his grandkids college. pic.twitter.com/iV4cCgHbTN— Brian Entin (@BrianEntin) June 26, 2022
After his story went viral on social media, Ford’s daughter, Seryna, created a GoFundMe page. She wrote, “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 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.”
“Saturday Night Live” alum, David Spade, donated $5,000 to the campaign, according to the report. The fundraiser has received over $150,000 in donations.
Ford said he took on the job at BK nearly 30 years ago after he was granted full custody of his two eldest daughters.
I dunno. This horrendously sad to me
…27 years…reeses pic.twitter.com/sb4GHZrh6s— Born_Invincible (@IBC_Yoh) June 19, 2022
Burger King addressed the criticism over the gift bag in a statement: “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 fast-food chain told PEOPLE that Ford’s gift bag was a “reward in recognition of a short-term positive performance/experience.”
The company claims there is a “robust employee recognition program” for such milestones.
