A Mississippi mother thought she was doing the right thing when she got her 15-year-old son and his friends jobs at the Burger King she managed.
But in a twist that has rocked the small town of Clinton, 12 miles from Jackson, all five have been fired.
The firings come amid allegations of nepotism: Fast food bosses say Shakayla Dixon abused her position as manager and paid too much money to her son Corderrion Valentine.
Dixon told local news that he hired him and his friends to keep them off the streets while also allowing them to earn money during summer vacation.
Valentine agreed with her mother that this had kept her out of trouble.
“I felt like it was a good thing because we could have really been doing violence or shooting or killing, but we went out and worked,” he said, referring to widespread violent crime in the subway.
Shakayla Dixon hired her son and three of his friends at the place she managed.
Corderrion Valentine, 15, was devastated to lose his summer job at Burger King
Until recently, Shakayla Dixon managed the Burger King in Clinton, a small town just 12 miles from Jackson.
She hired the four boys at the beginning of summer vacation.
At first, Dixon’s plan seemed to be working well and he even posted a celebratory photo on Facebook of the four teens working in the kitchen.
The post went viral and was even picked up by comedian and TV host Nick Cannon, who posted the image on his Instagram page with the caption: “Avoiding trouble and packing the right way! This is how it’s done, kings.”
However, Dixon says she was soon called by her area manager and district leader, who raised some concerns.
‘The concerns were the fact that Corderrion is my son and how much money they were being paid,’ She told WLBT.
“He told me that a minor should be paid differently than an adult,” he explained.
“They never told me beforehand.”
Valentine told the outlet he was devastated to have lost his summer job.
“I felt like it was a good thing because we could have really been doing violence or shooting or killing, but we went out and worked,” he said, referring to the widespread violence. crime In the subway.
‘I felt it was a fun experience to prepare me for the real world.’
However, he still hopes that his efforts to get a job and stay off the streets will serve as a good example for other children.
“I hope it will serve to inspire many people to do good and stop violence,” he said.
Burger King did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
Dixon’s post went viral and was even picked up by actor Nick Cannon.
Cannon posted a photo of the boys on his Instagram page.
Dixon posted a celebratory photo on Facebook of the four teens working in the kitchen.
The popular chain recently announced it would cut costs by implementing self-service kiosks in another 1,100 of its restaurants.
It is the latest stage in the fast food chain’s bid to renovate its outlets and reduce costs (kiosks could result in fewer staff and lower wage bills).
Executives now say the company plans to have 85 to 90 percent of its 7,000 U.S. outlets (between 5,950 and 6,300) have the new ordering technology within the next four years.
This comes after franchisees in California said they were already replacing staff with digital ordering kiosks as a way to cut costs after the minimum wage in the state was raised to $20 an hour.