McDiva is what people are calling this McDonald’s employee after she stood up to a rude customer. So how exactly did she get this title?
A customer interaction gone wrong
McDiva (@.222.k06) is a college student who worked at McDonald’s. During New Year’s Eve, she says her boss told her the store was done making food at 7:30pm. This way they would clean and close the store by 8pm, which was their usual closing time.
However, the worker went viral after a customer filmed their interaction about the earlier closing time. In a viral video originally posted to Facebook, a customer films themselves sliding open the window at a McDonald’s drive-thru. They ask, “Why did you close down at 7:30 when it says 8?”
In the clip, the manager responds that it’s 7:30, and the customer insists that the sign says 8pm and that they want the corporate number for the store. Eventually, “McDiva” aka @.222.k06 gets involved, helping her manager out since English wasn’t her first language.
@.222.k06 tells her manager to “shut the door and lock it, it’s OK.” After the customer insists about the closing time, @.222.k06 slides the window shut, locking it, and then puts up two middle fingers at the camera while sticking her tongue out.
Eventually, the customer knocks on the window again and asks for “McDiva’s” name, claiming that “she’s getting fired.” The manager answers that she does not know her name.
While the viral video of the incident has been reposted numerously on TikTok and X, the Daily Dot has been unable to find the original video source.
@emiilyks ponytail girl mcdonald #ponytailgirlmcdonald #ponytail #girl #mcdonald #mcdonalds #viralvideos ♬ orijinal ses – ✨
The back story
What’s not filmed in that initial viral video is that McDiva already had a conversation with the customer and told them they were closed. In an explainer video, McDiva explains that she told the customer there was no food in the store to give them because they were closed early for New Year’s Eve.
“I understand that like 30 minutes you still have time to come in and get food if it was a regular day but because it was New Year’s Eve, we stopped cooking at 7:30,” she explains.
McDiva says she did get fired for the incident. The Daily Dot has previously reported on contested interactions with employees at the drive-thru, like this customer that said the McDonald’s drive-thru person was speaking to them via the bathroom.
It seems that while most McDonald’s stores are open on New Year’s Eve, some may operate on a special schedule and close early, according to Parade. Parade advises calling the store on special holidays like this to make sure you won’t be met with difficulties.
The rise of McDiva
People in the customer service industry are flocking to McDiva’s defense, seemingly tired with their own rude customer experiences.
“I was on your side immediately didn’t even need to hear the story,” one commenter said.
“Your manager saying she didn’t know your name was the best part like it SENTTT ME,” another wrote.
“Girl u ATE especially with that ponytail flip,” one person commented.
“Management should have put a sign up on all doors and windows. Online should have been turned off. None of this is your fault,” another added.
“GIRL HAVE YOU SEEN THE EDITS?!?!? PEOPLE LOVE YOU HAHAHA,” another shared.
@.222.k06 mcdonalds story time #fyp #storytime ♬ original sound – McDiva 😚
This is true—there are several edits of McDiva online with people praising how she responded to the customer.
The Daily Dot has reached out to McDonald’s for comment via email and to McDiva for comment via TikTok message and comment.
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