Missouri Man Raises Funds for Teen Taco Bell Worker

A teenager working alone at a Taco Bell restaurant in Missouri drew attention after customer Brad Bartow waited 42 minutes for his order and discovered she was handling the entire operation herself. Bartow shared footage of the situation on TikTok before launching a fundraiser to support the young employee.

According to BroBible, the worker was managing both the drive-thru and the restaurant's crowded dining area without assistance. The drive-thru queue reportedly stretched around the building while customers waited inside.

Bartow described the situation in his video, highlighting the teenager's workload during the unusually demanding shift.

"She's the only one working here, and look at this," said Brad Bartow.

He also explained how long he had waited while observing the employee working without colleagues.

"I waited 42 minutes, and she's in there all alone," said Bartow.

In his GoFundMe description, Bartow said the teenager remained polite throughout the rush. He added that she apologized to drive-thru customers for the delays without mentioning that she was the only employee on duty.

According to Bartow, she was still working alone past midnight. Several customers inside reportedly became disruptive, and some men offered to help, but the teenager declined because she feared getting into trouble with her manager.

Bartow said he approached the employee before leaving and asked whether she would share her Cash App details so he could send her money. However, she hesitated because she was unsure whether company rules allowed her to accept the assistance.

"I have to call my boss," the teenager told Bartow, according to his account.

Bartow agreed that contacting her manager was appropriate. He said his intention was to provide financial support rather than create problems for the employee.

His Cash App reportedly reached its $1,000 limit after he shared the story online. He subsequently established a GoFundMe campaign to collect additional donations for the teenager.

"make this difficult night worthwhile" was how Bartow described his fundraising goal in the campaign's description.

The fundraiser had collected $15,275 from 775 donations toward its $18,000 target, according to the campaign information cited in the report. That total was higher than the $13,500 previously reported by BroBible.

In a campaign update, Bartow said he was communicating with the teenager's family. He also shared that she intended to use the money toward purchasing a vehicle.

Bartow further described the employee's response to the difficult working conditions and the behavior of customers inside the restaurant.

"That gal's in there just working her tail off. The fellas that were acting all wild in there tried to help her. She didn't want them to come back there because she didn't want to get in trouble with her boss," said Bartow.

Reflecting on how he might have handled the same circumstances, he described the pressure of managing an entire restaurant alone.

"I would probably have walked out and just left the place open," said Bartow.

Missouri's child labor regulations distinguish between employees younger than 16 and those aged 16 or 17. According to the U.S. Department of Labor's state child labor table, workers under 16 generally face a 7 p.m. work cutoff, extended to 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. The table lists no hourly restrictions for workers aged 16 and 17.

The incident adds to other workplace situations that have attracted attention on TikTok, including a Wisconsin employee who declined an order while working alone and a McDonald's worker who addressed a customer's video showing her refusing to serve coffee.