The dinner rush is on at Suga’s Diner in Stanton, Tennessee, the only restaurant in this town of 452 souls. Business is booming thanks to Ford Motor Co.’s massive electric pickup factory being built just down the road. Lesa “Suga” Tard, owner and chief cook, is desperately seeking extra staff now that she’s extended hours, added a day of operation and sent a new food truck to the construction site.
“I don’t know how much more I can do,” she says from behind the counter, scribbling orders for deep-fried catfish with her blue-gloved hands. “People are excited, but other people retired here, looking for the quiet life, the country life, with no crime. They’re worried that all could change.”
