An employee of Burger King who recently celebrated his 27th work anniversary has gone viral after sharing the unimpressive “gift” he was given in honor of the occasion.
At the Burger King in the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, 54-year-old Kevin Ford has been a cook and cashier for almost three decades. He never missed a day of work and was a remarkably hard worker.
Kevin received a gift package packed with various goods as a token of gratitude from HMS Host, the firm that the fast-food restaurant employs.
A single movie ticket, a bag of Reese’s Pieces, two rolls of Lifesavers, and a Starbucks reusable tumbler were all packed inside the transparent, plastic backpack.
Kevin made a TikTok video showcasing the bag’s contents. Although he was grateful for the gift, his post received a ton of negative feedback about the company.
Many users believed that the reward fell short of the employee’s three decades of exemplary work.
“You deserve so much more for your dedication to the company. Hoping this post brings you something special & deserving of you.”
“Being so grateful for receiving so little for 27 years of hard work. Blessing are coming your way!”
Kevin Ford’s daughter, Seryna Ford, created a GoFundMe for her dad after reading the remarks.
When he was granted custody of her and her older sister 27 years ago, Seryna mentioned that her father initially started working at Burger King as a single parent.
Kevin continued to work at the restaurant even as his family grew, and he got remarried because his employer offered health insurance, which helped him pay for the full healthcare of all four of his children throughout their high school and college years.
Seryna wrote on the fundraiser page, “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.”
The GoFundMe target was raised by Seryna to $200,000 after it was repeatedly surpassed. At the time of writing, the drive had nearly $300,000 in donations, and it was still growing.
David Spade, one of the top contributors, gave a massive $5,000. The comedian congratulated Kevin on the achievement and contacted him via Instagram.
“Keep up the good work. 27 years,” the former cast member of Saturday Night Live wrote.
During a phone interview with TODAY, Kevin expressed his gratitude for the help he had been getting from nice online strangers.
“I’ve been crying for about two days now. It’s just incredible,” he said. “I just go to work and try to have fun and laugh and make other people’s day good. It’s like I’ve been in a dream for almost two days now. It’s just so beautiful and awesome. It really is.”
In response, Burger King sent the following statement to People magazine:
“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. The franchisee offers its Team Members a robust employee recognition program, which includes the recognition of tenure milestones and monetary awards.”
HMS Host also issued a statement on the subject:
A corporate representative told TODAY that “The goodie bag Mr. Ford received was something we call a Shout Out, which is recognition and appreciation from his peers,”
“HMSHost is pleased that its award-winning ‘Shout Out’ employee recognition program was used to celebrate one of our long-tenured and dedicated associates, Kevin Ford, for his teamwork and great attitude.”
The “Shout Out” program, which honors employee tenure milestones, is distinct from HMS Host’s corporate service anniversary program, which was also acknowledged during the celebration.
The statement continued, “This recognition of Mr. Ford by another employee captures the essence of our culture of appreciation, caring and inclusion and reflects the best of our company — our people,”
“Mr. Ford is a valued associate and member of an honored group of employees that have worked for us for many years.”
Kevin said he hasn’t thought about what he’ll do with the money yet, but he’s looking forward to seeing his granddaughters, two girls who are six and eight years old, and his daughter Seryna and paying off debts.
Kevin is also appreciative of her daughter, who initiated everything.
“I can’t repay her, you know? Because she is why I do everything — her and my other daughters and now my grandkids,” he said. “I really can’t put into words how much I love my family.”
Kevin, congratulations. Such a merited favor has been bestowed to me!
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