A Burger King worker who said he didn't miss a day of work in 27 years has bought a house using crowdfunding donations
- A Burger King worker in Nevada has bought a house using crowdfunding donations after going viral.
- Kevin Ford previously posted a video showing the contents of a goody bag he was given to mark his 27-year tenure.
A man who said he worked at Burger King for 27 years without a day off has bought a house using GoFundMe donations.
Kevin Ford went viral in the summer of 2022 after posting a TikTok video saying that the fast-food chain gave him a paltry goody bag to celebrate his 27-year tenure as a cook and cashier at the Burger King at Harry Reid International Airport in Paradise, Nevada.
The chain's hiring company, HMSHost, gave him an odd array of gifts, including a movie ticket, a Starbucks cup, some candies, two pens, two keychains in a plastic drawstring backpack, and some chocolate cake.
After the video blew up on social media, one of Ford's daughters created a GoFundMe page, which at the time of writing has amassed almost $450,000 in donations.
Ford recently told TMZ that he had used some of the money from the crowdfunding page to buy a three-bed, 846-square-foot house in Pahrump, Nevada. He told the outlet that the house is about an hour from the Burger King restaurant where he works, but that he didn't mind because he likes driving.
"It's not a mansion, but it's mine," Ford said in a TikTok video from late December giving a tour of the house. He said that his daughters and grandchildren would be able to visit and stay with him.
Business Insider reached out to Ford for comment but didn't immediately hear back.
Ford regularly updates the GoFundMe page with pictures of himself and his family as well as messages thanking people who had donated.
Owning a home was "something I never thought would be possible for me," Ford said in the TikTok video. "This is truly an American dream. It's a Christmas miracle."
As of January 2022, 31% of workers in the US aged 25 and older had worked for their current employer for at least 10 years, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Some workers at fast food restaurants have stayed at the same company for decades, saying that they enjoy working with other staff and with customers. Ford's daughter wrote on his GoFundMe page that the healthcare insurance he got through his job covered his four daughters through high school and college.
Ford told TMZ that since going viral, he had missed one day off work – to go on the "Today" show.