A Memphis pizza restaurant is facing backlash after refusing service to four members of the Tennessee National Guard last weekend, with the owner telling Fox News Digital he stands by the decision and would "make the same decision tomorrow."Miles Tamboli, owner of Tamboli's Pasta & Pizza, said he refused to serve the Guardsmen on Saturday night because he opposes the federally led Memphis Safe Task Force, arguing the use of National Guard troops in local law enforcement has made the city less safe rather than more secure."I love this country and I love this city, and that is exactly why I made this call," Tamboli told Fox News Digital 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."TEXAS BAKERY SAYS IT'S 'EMBARRASSED' BY AMERICA, CALLS MAGA 'A CULT' IN JULY 4 MESSAGENational Guard members began patrolling Memphis, Tenn., in October as part of a federal task force established by President Donald Trump to combat what the administration says is violent crime in the city.(Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)The Memphis Safe Task Force is a federally led initiative established in September 2025 by President Donald Trump to stop violent crime in the city.
The task force combines local police with agents from various federal agencies, the Tennessee National Guard, and state troopers to enforce public safety laws."What the Task Force has actually done is make this city harder to live in," Tamboli continued."Its own records show that the overwhelming majority of its arrests began with routine traffic stops, not violent crime.
Families in this city are now afraid to drive to work...