Kevin Ford worked for Burger King for 27 years. He was, therefore, understandably disappointed when his reward for nearly three decades of service was a simple goody bag.
The former Burger King employee shared his situation on social media. He made it clear that he was not being ungrateful. Instead, he was just saying that he was hoping for a little more appreciation after devoting a large part of his life to the company.
The post went viral within a few days. He posted his "goody bag," his reward after 27 years of loyal service, on social media.
His story moved many people, and they donated more than $56K through GoFundMe for his sake.
Kevin worked as a cook and a cashier at Burger King before he retired at the age of 54. He was working at a Las Vegas branch of the popular fast-food chain.
Despite working faithfully for 27 years without missing a shift, all he got was a humble token of appreciation.
In the bag was a bag of Reese's, two pens, a reusable Starbucks cup, and a movie ticket.
The social media post Kevin shared went viral and got him media attention. While talking to TMZ, he said he was still grateful for the gift he got, although it was not what he was expecting:
"I'm happy about anything, I'm thankful for anything I get, I'm not that type of person, believe me. I've been through a lot."
In addition to showing appreciation for his employer's gesture, he said that Burger King was a great company, which is why he had been with them for 27 years.
Still, Kevin noted that the company had lost touch with its workers, just like most larger corporations. The companies have been cutting out such programs, partly due to COVID.
The video went viral, and Seryna, his daughter, set up a GoFundMe page for his daughter. She explained that he took the job while still a single father to her and his other daughter.
She pointed out that although he looks young, he has almost attained his retirement age. If he left, his retirement would be gone:
"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."
When the fundraiser was launched, the goal was to raise $40,000, but Seryna revised the goal to $50,000 after the first goal was surpassed.
She thanked everyone for their generosity.
Some celebrities also took part in the fundraising. David Spade contributed $5,000 to the fundraiser.
A Burger King spokesperson responded to Kevin Ford's post, saying that what he had received was a peer-to-peer reward to recognize a short-term positive performance.
The spokesperson also said that the company offers its team members a strong employee recognition program that includes tenure milestones and monetary rewards.
