Viral Burger King Employee Who Worked 27 Years Without Days Off Fulfills a 'Beautiful Dream' Thanks to Donations

Mar. 15, 2025

Kevin Ford.Photo:Kevin Ford

Kevin Ford

A Burger King employee who went viral aftergoing 27 years without missing a single shifthas now been able to make another big life changethanks to a fundraising campaign.

After announcing earlier this year he was able topurchase his first homethanks to the generosity of the thousands who have supported him since 2022, Kevin Ford, 57, shares that he recently bought a food truck, which will hopefully allow him to retire from his fast food gig.

“I wanted to do something to pay back what the world did for me,” he says. “I wanted to not only make money but do something to help the community.”

Once the business gets off the ground (no launch date has been announced yet), his truck’s initial food offerings will consist of American fare like hot dogs and fries. He has a fiancée in the Philippines whom he plans to bring to the U.S. once the visa issues are resolved.

“When she gets here, I’m going to also add traditional Filipino food,” he says. “I kind of want to do American versus Filipino type stuff and do some fusions.  My daughter Seryna is a trained chef from Le Cordon Bleu, so she’s going to help me with some of the recipes and everything.”

Kevin Ford’s new food truck.Kevin Ford

He acknowledges that he is still learning about the food truck business and is taking his time before his venture makes its official debut. Having never owned a business before, Ford sees himself as proof that anyone can do something new — even in their late 50s.

“I’m going to work this day and night,” he says of his food truck. ”I’m going to study it. I’m going to do whatever I can and I’m going to have fun. I’m going to put out some good food and I’m going to go for it.”

The new venture is just another major milestone in Ford’s life that may have never happened had it not beenfor the now-famous video from two years ago. In that clip, Ford — a cook for the Burger King location at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport — showed a goodie bag he received from management for his nearly three decades of service without missing a day.

Among the items included were a Starbucks cup, a bag of Reese’s Pieces, two packs of Life Savers, two pens, a lanyard and two keychains.

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Ford, who has four daughters and three grandchildren, tells PEOPLE he made the video because  HMSHost, a food service company for Burger King, has always encouraged its employees to do social media posts like TikTok and Instagram as a form of recruiting.

“All I was thinking about was I was happy that I had a job,” says Ford, who added that his other Burger King employees had served longer than him but never received a gift from management. “And so I was just sincerely grateful to get anything. I took my camera to a coworker and I said, Hey, film this. So I filmed this video and I was thanking them for everything in [the goodie bag].”

Kevin Ford.Kevin Ford

Commenters who saw the video criticized the contents of the goodie bag as not being worthy of Ford’s long tenure with the company. In response to the clip, Ford’s daughter Seryna launched a GoFundMe, which also allowed her to explain that he started working at Burger King as a single parent when he gained custody of her and her older sister decades ago. She also said that because of Burger King’s generous health coverage, Ford was able to work at the company for a long time and support his daughters through college.

“My whole life was turned upside down when my daughter, America and the world did this for me,” Ford says. “They saved my life. They still donate, and I appreciate it every day.”

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Among the things Ford did with his GoFundMe money was purchasing his first house.

“When I was married, we struggled to rent and bought a house once or twice,” he recalls. “But we would always lose it because it was too expensive or the economy or something like that. To have that feeling of independence and know that it’s mine — it is really indescribable. I’m so thankful to the world and grateful that they did this for me. It’s beyond beautiful.”

As he waits for his food truck business to get off the ground, Ford is still working at Burger King, although due to a back issue, he now only works there four days a week. He says he plans to retire once the truck turns profitable and he can pay his expenses.

“I am just like everybody else. You still have to pay bills, you still have to get up in the morning and go to work. But yes, it’s an absolutely beautiful dream that continues to be a beautiful dream," he says. “The ‘Kevin 27 Years’ GoFundMe has changed my life and the lives of my children and grandchildren forever.  People continue to hold me up and donate, and it’s just an absolutely beautiful thing.”

source: people.com