Featured Image Credit: Instagram/thekeep777
Topics: Burger King, Viral, GoFundMe, TikTok, Food and Drink, Good News
Niamh Shackleton
Topics: Burger King, Viral, GoFundMe, TikTok, Food and Drink, Good News
An ex Burger King chef who went viral after 27 years of service at the fast food chain is embarking on a new adventure thanks to funds raised for him.
In 2022, Kevin Ford marked his 27th anniversary at Burger King and received a pretty underwhelming gift in return.
Kevin was given a movie ticket, backpack, Starbucks mug and candy as a reward for his years of service - something his family felt was unjust.
This sparked one of Kevin's daughters, Seryna, to set up a GoFundMe for him and while they set the target as a humble $200, the fundraiser to help Kevin pay for his retirement went on to make over $400,000 in donations.
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At the time of writing, the donation sum stands at $460,000.
"He originally began working at this job as a single father when he gained custody of me and my older sister 27 years ago," Seryna wrote on the page.
"Then as our family grew and he remarried, he continued to work there because of the amazing health insurance that was provided through this employer because it was unionized.
"This got all four of his daughters through high school and college with full healthcare coverage."
Late last year, Kevin was able to purchase a home with the donations raised on his behalf and is now the proud owner of a 846-square foot property with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, which he purchased for $177,000.
He was quick to take to social media to thank people for their kindness and generosity.
"I wanted to show you something, something you made possible, you did for me, just a hardworking guy," Kevin said.
"Now I know it needs some work, gonna cut off the haters already, I know its not a mansion but it’s mine."
Now, Kevin is seemingly using the rest of the money to embark on his next career venture and has purchased a food truck for $20,000.
Yesterday (August 21), Kevin took to TikTok to rave about the company he purchased the it from.
The truck is named K27Y - short for Kevin 27 Years, in a nod to his viral fame.
He proceeded to thank people once more for their donations and making his dream possible.
Kevin captioned the clip: "You did it again... Now I don't know how successful it's gonna be with blessings from God and from you. Hopefully, it'll be a great success for me, for my family, for my children, for my generations, for the community. But I just want you to know you did this and you made this possible."
According to TMZ, Kevin hopes to have the food truck up and running by May 2025.