A video posted by creator Brad Bartow, whose handle appears to be @brad.bartow, shows a single Taco Bell employee reportedly managing an entire restaurant alone during what seemed to be a busy period. The video appears to document Bradley Bartow’s experience and his subsequent efforts to assist the worker, identified as Jakaira Cole, by setting up a GoFundMe campaign. This action was taken, according to the video’s caption, after her Cash App was capped at $1,000.
The video opens inside a brightly lit Taco Bell, where several young men, who appear to be customers, are gathered near the counter. Bradley Bartow states in the video, “She is the only one working here.” A voice in the video is heard asking, “Hey, you want to go shotgun a beer?” and then, “Hey, you need a beer?” On-screen text in the video reads, “8 million views on Instagram!”
The scene then shifts to an exterior shot of the Taco Bell at night, with the building illuminated and cars visible in the parking lot. Bradley Bartow comments on the situation, saying, “Look at these.” He then shows a brown Taco Bell bag with two receipts and explains, “I waited 42 minutes.” The video then shows the drive-thru window from inside a car, where a worker, who appears to be Jakaira Cole, is visible inside the restaurant working by herself.
Customer observes challenging conditions and offers assistance
Inside his car, Bradley Bartow speaks directly to the camera, recounting his interaction with the worker. He states in the video, “I asked her what her Cash App was and she’s like, ‘I’m not sure I’m allowed to do that, I have to call my boss.'” He adds, “And I was like, she needs to call her boss and ask for help. Um, but anyway, I got her a Cash App.”
An on-screen graphic in the video displays a GoFundMe page titled “Bradley Bartow.” The page features an image of Jakaira Cole in her Taco Bell uniform. Text on the screen reads, “Cashapp blocked payment. Use GoFundMe! Link in Bio For Jakaira Cole’s solo-shift at Taco Bell!” A progress bar in the video indicates “58%” of the goal has been reached.
Bradley Bartow continues speaking from his car, emphasizing the worker’s dedication, stating, “That gal’s in there just working her tail off.” He mentions the young men who offered assistance, saying, “Them fellas that were acting all wild in there. They tried to help her.” He explains that Jakaira declined their help, stating, “She didn’t want them to come back there because she didn’t want to get in trouble by her boss.”
Bartow expresses his own hypothetical reaction to such a situation, saying, “I’d say I would probably have walked out and just left the place open if I was in high school. Luckily, I didn’t have to work fast food.” He concludes his remarks by stating, “But anyway, we’ll see if we can help her out a little bit.” The video concludes by showing the GoFundMe page again, reiterating the call to action to support Jakaira Cole.
The video’s caption further elaborates on the situation, stating, “It took 42 min to get my food at Taco Bell. This young lady was working all alone — doing everything herself — cars wrapped around the building into the street.” The caption also mentions, “These wildboys, legit, offered to go behind the counter to help her, and she refused bc she didn’t want to get in trouble.” It describes the worker as “a class act and so sweet.”
The caption confirms that the GoFundMe was set up because “Her Cash App is maxed out at $1k and is shut down for 30 days.” Bradley Bartow notes his personal contributions, stating, “I gave her all the cash outta my wallet, so did some of them boys, and I also sent her $100 on cashapp AND on GoFundMe (and said a prayer for her in the name of Jesus).”
The video has gathered significant attention, with several comments from viewers. Some of the top comments include:
- “Her manager needs to be fired.”
- “SHES IN HIGH SCHOOL???? OH SIS IS GOING FAR!”
- “And with a damn SMILE on her face.”
- “Omg I bet some people were AWFUL to her 😭😭”
- “11,000 dollars raised rn that’s crazyyyy 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻”
- “Taco Bell ain’t responding on this one 😭😭” Fast-food workers handling overwhelming shifts alone have faced far worse than long lines, as a McDonald’s employee was berated with racial slurs and threats while demanding her order.
