For half a century, the economy in Connell, Washington, was hotter than oil. Up until last fall, this plant processed 300 million pounds of potatoes into french fries every year.
Adam Kunkel moved his family there in 2013 so he could work at the factory, and his wife Katrina opened a coffee shop.
“We finally bought a house like two years ago. Being first-time home buyers, we were so excited and we thought this was gonna be great,” Katrina said.
But in September, the factory laid off all its workers. Parent company Lamb Weston cited a decrease in fast food sales spurred by inflation. McDonald’s global sales slumped in the second quarter of 2024, marking the first decline for the fast-food giant since 2020 as inflation-weary consumers pull back on eating out.
“I worked [at the french fry plant] for over 11 years. It was just like, what am I gonna do now to support my family?” Kunkel said.
Ryan Herzog, a professor of economics at Gonzaga University, said there are no easy answers for small-town communities that mostly depend on a single major employer like the french fry plant.
Last August, Tyson Foods shuttered a pork plant that employed about 25% of working-age residents in Perry, Iowa.
“There’s not an immediate solution to help them,” Herzog said.
Inflation has impacted nearly everything we consume, from eggs to bread to potatoes. Nearly half of all Americans say they feel worse off than they did four years ago, according to a Gallup poll. Inflation drove many people to the polls and in towns like this, it might be driving them out.
Connell Mayor Lee Barrow says the plant’s closure has already led to collateral damage — a 10% cut in the town budget, due, in part, to lost tax revenue. Barrow says the ripple effect could touch everything from retail to school enrollment.
It doesn’t end there. Spending less has even led to a scale-down on pizza in the town. Kanwardeep Singh, owner of Pappa Ray’s, says the restaurant used to average around $3,000 per day when the french fry plant was in operation. Now, it’s down to $600 per day, he said.
Closer to the Kunkel home is coffee.
“We’ve cut back our hours just to try to save some money to be able to keep all of our people on board. The cost of milk, the cost of coffee beans, everything, it just goes up,” Katrina said.
The town of Connell now faces a fork in the road — struggling to hold on, while searching for new ways to bring prosperity back to its table.
