French fry plant closure leaves small Washington town struggling

Inflation has come way down since June of 2022, when it hit 9.1%. But prices remain high, and that can have a big impact on a small town that depends on a single major employer. Jonathan Vigliotti reports from Connell, Washington.

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[williamlloyd]

Three thousand jobs in a small, rural town is pretty tough to overcome.

[zoomzoombmw]

This is 100% self inflicted by Lamb Weston. This plant is within 30 miles of 5 or 6 (maybe more) potato processing plants, 1 or 2 are still owned by Lamb Weston, that are STILL pushing pounds (fries) down the line! The demand for French fries has not slowed down at all (I know this because I work for another potato giant), sure they are more money, but people are STILL buying them. I hate this company so much for what they did to me and my colleagues. When they closed the doors, it legit felt like someone died. We worked so hard to make that plant run well and to have it taken out right out from underneath us hurts, and when stuff like this happens, it just goes to show that you are a number to big corps. Ugh, it makes me so mad! P.s. this happened in Oct 2024.

[iketheranter]

The town should buy the plant and find new customers. Everyone becomes a share holder.

[waynesimpson]

Damn! When you can't make money off selling junk food saturated with oil to Americans, it's a dark day.

[ronbennett]

Medium fries is over $4 at McDonald's. No wonder many are cutting back. Fast food in general is too expensive for what one gets.

[chinesecrested]

I lived in North Carolina, it used to be the furniture and fabric capital of the us. Every town or city that had a single employer was and is doomed.

[signalfire]

Only a few thousand people in the town and only one big employer. NEVER BUY IN A TOWN LIKE THAT. You won't be able to sell when things get bad for whatever reason.

[ogadlogadl]

1:12 Went to Micky D’s last week, two large French Fries was $9.05!
$9.05 for two large fries there weren’t even filled up fully.
Never going back.

[Firstimerable]

Remember when they were called Freedom Fries?

[iivntnq]

McDonald's CEO makes 20 million.
That's up from two years ago. When he made a mere 19 million.
Do you really think they lost money?
Is that CEO going to take a significant paycut this year?

[larrybroadwater]

1.5% yet McDonalds CEO salary has went up 8% since 2022!

[johnweeks-yi]

With prices coming down and plenty of migrant farm work, they will be ok.

[NURREDIN]

If trump thinks he can do the same thing Hoover did and end up with a different result, he's nuts. Hoover's "short term pain" lasted 25 YEARS.

[NicholasDeLaat]

Remember, these companies doesn't care about you or your community. Never have. Never trust them to invest your all in one basket...

[carterwgtx]

From rural East Tennessee. On one hand my liberal heart breaks every time I see a story like this…but also over the last decade as Ive watched rural America get brainwashed by conservative talk radio and repeatedly vote against their own best interests my sympathy is running out.

[skyworks]

Sales down 1.5 % and you close a plant 😅, typical american economy. Just sad, always money first no heart for people. I hope town rebuilds.

[LCpjhggfgd]

So many small towns rely on one big factory or industry. It goes bankrupt/closes and everyone suffers. 😢

[andrewinaustintx]

The potato processing plant is owned by Lamb Weston Holdings Inc. It is the largest supplier of frozen potato products in the US.

[hannibalkemet]

Trump's economy. He said he was going to bring prices down on day one

[Prolific_Troll]

What an unbelievably depressing town. What a sad way to live your life.