Downtown restaurant sees 70% revenue drop after National Guard books adjacent hotel, per co-owner
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Revenue has dropped nearly 70% for a Downtown Memphis restaurant since the National Guard began staying at an adjacent hotel, according to the co-owner, Monique Williams, also known as Chef Mo.
Williams, co-owner of Biscuits and Jams, said her business model depended on Hotel Indigo, which is now fully booked with National Guard troops through September 30, according to a hotel employee.
Biscuits and Jams in Downtown Memphis
“I don’t know how we are going to make it. To be honest with you. Not here,” Williams said.
The restaurant, which is attached to Hotel Indigo, opened the downtown location to serve as the food supplier for the hotel.
Williams said the bulk of her business came from hotel guests, including diamond elite members and catering needs.
Williams provided financial records showing the impact. In December 2024, the restaurant brought in just over $100,000. During December 2025, about a month after the National Guard began staying at Hotel Indigo, revenue dropped to just over $36,000.
“We have literally had days since the change where we’ve made $100 a day. $100,” Williams said.
At 12:30 p.m. on Friday, the business had only made around $500.
Biscuits and Jams in Downtown Memphis
The National Guard troops have their food provided, eliminating the restaurant’s primary customer base.
“The guys have been great, they have really been great. They [National Guard troops] were going to be taking over the hotel by mid-November, and at that point, we would no longer have those customers come in, and who would be traveling. That was the base of our business; the hotel is completely locked down with the National Guard,” Williams said.
Williams said she considers the economy and other variables, like low tourism, but wished federal and state leaders had thought about how the deployment would impact local businesses.
“When that decision was made, we should have taken a look at how it would affect our city in this economy. It’s not fair, it’s not fair to a business that I worked hard to start. It’s not fair to the people that come to work every day to get an honest living,” Williams said.
Williams said she appreciates the troops’ trying to help with small catering orders, but said that is not enough to sustain her business.
“I don’t know if we are going to make it to next month, let alone October. If we stay the way we stay right now, how do we do that?” Williams said.
Biscuits and Jams in Downtown Memphis
Williams said she understands why the National Guard was deployed.
“They are supposed to be here to help us, with crime, we know that. But did the government take into account what that does to a business?” she said. “[They are here to] get us back to a normal, where we feel safe and all of that. I mean, how does that help us when it’s affecting our livelihoods? I have people who depend on me and hold on my shoulders.”
Governor Bill Lee’s office, Mayor Paul Young’s office, and the Downtown Memphis Commission did not comment on the situation when we reached out.
