Tamboli's Pizza Says Sales Doubled After Refusing 4 National Guard Members
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 22
Tamboli's Pizza Says Sales Doubled After Refusing 4 National Guard Members
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 22
Summary
Roughly doubled sales in the week after July 11 made Tamboli's Pasta & Pizza's busiest stretch in its current building, owner Miles Tamboli said, with lines forming before opening on most nights.
A supporter-driven "buy-cott" followed conservative calls for a boycott after the Memphis restaurant refused service to four uniformed members of the federally led Memphis Safe Task Force.
Tamboli said he still stands by the refusal and has not heard from a single regular customer saying they will not return, arguing the one exception was service to a uniformed deployment he opposes.
The dispute has become a proxy fight over the task force launched in September 2025 by President Donald Trump, which Tamboli blames for fear, traffic-stop-heavy enforcement and four deaths despite violent crime already falling to a 25-year low before it arrived.
When a protest boosts business despite online backlash, what does it reveal about a community's true sentiments?
Can public safety be achieved through military force if it costs the trust of citizens it is meant to protect?
Where is the legal line between a governor's authority to deploy troops and the rights of a local community?
Five Fatalities, One City Divided: The Memphis Safe Task Force, Tamboli’s Protest, and the Fight Over Militarized Policing (2025–2026)
Overview
In early July 2026, Tamboli's Pasta & Pizza became the center of public attention after refusing service to four National Guard members, sparking both criticism and support. Owner Miles Tamboli shifted the conversation from the restaurant's actions to the tragic killing of Tyrin Johnson by the Memphis Safe Task Force, highlighting the lack of answers and footage for Johnson's family. This incident intensified community debate about law enforcement's role in Memphis, with supporters rallying outside the restaurant and ongoing investigations into multiple fatal shootings by the Task Force fueling calls for greater accountability and transparency.