A Memphis pizza restaurant is facing backlash after its owner refused service to four members of the Tennessee National Guard last weekend. Miles Tamboli, owner of Tamboli's Pasta & Pizza, told Fox News Digital that he stands by his decision and "would make the same decision tomorrow."
Tamboli stated he refused to serve the Guardsmen on Saturday night because he opposes the federally led Memphis Safe Task Force. He argued that the deployment of National Guard troops in local law enforcement has made the city less safe. "I love this country and I love this city, and that is exactly why I made this call," Tamboli said in a statement. "I want Memphis to be safe. Every business owner does. And the honest truth is that Memphis was already getting safer before this Task Force ever arrived. Crime was at a 25-year low through the first eight months of 2025, according to the Memphis Police Department's own data, later confirmed by an independent Tennessee Bureau of Investigation audit. That progress was earned by the people of this city. It was not delivered by soldiers."
The Memphis Safe Task Force, established in September 2025 by President Donald Trump, aims to combat violent crime in the city. The initiative combines local police with federal agents, the Tennessee National Guard, and state troopers.
Tamboli contended that the Task Force has made the city more difficult to live in. "Its own records show that the overwhelming majority of its arrests began with routine traffic stops, not violent crime," he stated. "Families in this city are now afraid to drive to work, afraid to take their kids to school, afraid to be seen. Our own schools reported that fear drove children to stop showing up to class. And this month, a 20-year-old Memphian named Tyrin Johnson was shot and killed by National Guard troops during a foot chase, with no body camera footage and no answers for his family. None of that makes us safer. It makes us less safe, and it does the most damage to the people who were already struggling."
He believes the current approach to public safety is misguided. "Being pro-safety means telling the truth about what actually protects a community, and it is not soldiers trained for combat doing the work of police officers," Tamboli said. "That mismatch is dangerous for the people of Memphis and dangerous for the troops themselves, who were sent here to do a job they were never trained for. The founders wrote their objection to standing armies among the people into the Declaration of Independence itself, because they understood that a free country does not let the military police its own citizens. That principle is older than any political party, and I am not willing to abandon it because it became inconvenient."
Tamboli's restaurant website states his family settled in the Mid-South in 1909. He also noted that he joined "dozens of other local businesses in a public commitment to stand against the military policing our streets, an act of patriotism and conscience both."
He acknowledged that the incident has negatively impacted his business. "None of it changes my position. If anything, it confirms why this matters," Tamboli told News Channel 3 in Memphis.
Following the incident, social media users expressed outrage. One X user wrote, "I’m from Memphis. Tamboli’s Pasta & Pizza refused to serve uninformed Tennessee National Guard members who were just trying to eat. Their owner turned them away. That’s unacceptable. I stand with the National Guard. Businesses that disrespect the men and women protecting our city don’t deserve our support," using the hashtag #BoycottTamboli. Another user called Tamboli a "leftist scumbag" and hoped his business would suffer a boycott.
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., also commented on X, stating, "When I get home I’m driving to Memphis and not eating there."