Viral Waffle House Employee Rockstar Riley Says He Was Fired

The viral Waffle House employee who laid down a track as sweet as the company's syrup says he's now been fired ... and he's asking fans for help.

Here's the deal ... Rockstar Riley -- who made headlines for rapping a song about Waffle House -- has set up a GoFundMe ... telling fans he was fired from his job after 20 years.

Riley says he poured everything into the gig ... and calls management's decision "painful, disappointing, and honestly hard to process."

Riley tells TMZ ... he was contacted by the area manager a couple days after sitting down for an interview with us and shooting a music video for the song -- and he was told to delete all the content he did on social media while wearing his Waffle House uniform.

He says he refused to do so and kept shooting more content ... and when he went to work on Friday, he was fired.

Riley says he was told he was being let go because he continued to make content in the uniform and make videos with Waffle House in the background.

Thankfully, it seems fans are starting to help Rockstar Riley ... who has raised $145 so far on GoFundMe in the aftermath of his firing.

ICYMI ... Rockstar Riley told us he was very loyal to Waffle House -- insisting he wouldn't leave the company even if someone offered him a $1 million record deal. It seems that loyalty was a one-way street.