Burger King employee received a crummy goodie bag for working 27 years without missing a day, then David Spade stepped up big time
A Burger King employee has worked at the fast-food restaurant for 27 years and never missed a day. In recognition of his hard work, the management company rewarded the worker with a lousy goodie bag. However, comedian David Spade stepped up to give the hard worker a much more suitable gift.
Kevin Ford, 54, works as a cook and cashier at the Burger King in the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport in Nevada. Ford was given a gift bag by HMS Host – a company that operates restaurants in airports.
For working 27 years without missing a single day, the company rewarded Ford with a single movie ticket, a Starbucks cup, two packs of Lifesavers candy, a bag of Reese's Pieces, two pens, and other trinkets.
Despite the severely lackluster gifts, Ford was very appreciative of the gesture.
A video of Ford accepting the crummy goodie bag went viral this week. Many viewers remarked on how grateful Ford was while accepting the uninspiring gifts.
@thekeep777He's Worked for the Company for Almost 3 Decades and Has Never Called Out!!!😵💫🥺😱😭 #Grateful #Dads #FathersDay #Loyalty #Honor #WorkersUnite #Rewards #Thankful #NorrinRadd777 #theKeep777
Ford's daughter noticed that people were interested in giving her father a more rewarding gift for his hard work, so she launched a GoFundMe campaign.
"Hi, 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," Seryna Ford wrote on the crowdfunding website.
"He originally began working at this job as a single father when he gained custody of me and my older sister 27 years ago," she explained. "Then as our family grew and he remarried, he continue 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."
The daughter noted that they are not expecting any money, but said that her father would love to visit his grandchildren in Texas.
The GoFundMe campaign caught the eyes of many – including David Spade.
Spade made a donation of $5,000 to Ford after hearing his story. However, Ford was not sure if it was the real David Spade. Then Ford received a message on Instagram, according to TMZ.
"Keep up the good work. 27 years," Spade wrote to Ford.
Ford was blown away that the Hollywood celebrity contacted him, "HOLY S**T Dude!!! Cannot Believe This!!!"
The Burger King employee exclaimed, "THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! For Even Watching the Video! I Love You My Brother!!! Much Love and God Bless. ... I think [I] might be able to take a day off."
Spade replied, "Wait till year 30."
Ford joked, "Damn, are you one of my managers???"
Burger King issued a statement regarding the viral video, "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."
"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 told People magazine. "The franchisee offers its Team Members a robust employee recognition program, which includes the recognition of tenure milestones and monetary awards."
In an interview with YouTube personality Sierra Nicole, the gracious Ford thanked everyone for the support.
"I just want to say thanks to everybody out there. It's just so overwhelming," Ford said. "I'm just Kevin, you know. I just love everybody. I think that it probably touched people because I think we as humans, period, just need love and gratitude. And when you see someone like that, you know, ... I was happy to get anything. Some people got nothing, so I was just happy to get anything."
At the time of publication, the GoFundMe campaign had raised more than $63,000. He told TMZ that he may use the money to buy a new hybrid vehicle so that he can visit his daughters and grandchildren in Texas.