Who is Tyler Robinson? What we know about Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin
WASHINGTON, Utah – Tyler Robinson, 22, has been identified as the suspect in Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination on a Utah college campus.
“We got him on the evening of Sept. 11,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced in a Friday morning news briefing.
“A family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident.”
TIMELINE OF CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION
Background and upbringing
Since-deleted Facebook posts, viewed by Fox News Digital, paint a picture of Robinson’s life in Washington County, Utah, filled with family milestones, birthdays and school achievements.
Steven Dunham, director of communications for the Washington County School District, confirmed to Fox News Digital that Robinson was a student in the district from 2008 to May 2021, attending Pine View Middle School and Pine View High School.
By 2021, Robinson was shown moving into Utah State University (USU), with photos outside the Richard and Moonyeen Anderson Engineering Building.
In a statement to Fox News from USU, the public university said: “Utah State University confirms that Tyler Robinson, the suspect arrested in the killing of Charlie Kirk, briefly attended Utah State University for one semester in 2021.”
“We can also confirm that he was a pre-engineering major and took classes consistent with that major for his one semester,” the school added.
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USU spokesperson Amanda DeRito told Fox News Digital that Robinson was awarded the school’s Resident Presidential Scholarship, its highest scholarship. She said Robinson had no disciplinary record during his time at the university. According to USU, the scholarship is reserved for top academic achievers.
At the time of his arrest, Robinson was a third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College. In a statement, the Utah Board of Higher Education said that he is a “third-year student in the electrical apprenticeship program at Dixie Technical College. He briefly attended Utah State University (one semester in 2021) and received concurrent enrollment credit through Utah Tech University while in high school (2019-2021).”
Investigation and arrest
At a news conference, Cox outlined the timeline leading to Robinson’s arrest.
The information was passed to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, investigators at Utah Valley University (UVU) and the FBI.
Surveillance and identification
Investigators said surveillance video showed Robinson arriving at UVU in a gray Dodge Challenger around 8:29 a.m. on Sept. 10, shortly before the shooting. A family member later confirmed to authorities that Robinson owned a vehicle matching that description.
“He is observed on video in a plain maroon T-shirt, light colored shorts, a black hat with a white logo and light colored shoes,” Cox said.
Fox News Digital captured a gray Dodge Challenger parked in the driveway of Robinson’s family home in Washington, Utah.
Witness statements
Family members told investigators Robinson had “become more political in recent years.”
“The family member referenced a recent incident in which Robinson came to dinner prior to Sept. 10,” Cox said. “In that conversation, Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU. They talked about why they didn’t like him and the viewpoints that he had.”
Investigators also spoke with Robinson’s roommate.
“Investigators interviewed that roommate who stated that his roommate, referring to Robinson, made a joke on Discord,” Cox explained. “The content of these messages included… a need to retrieve a rifle from a drop point… messages related to visually watching the area where a rifle was left… engraving bullets… and a message referring to having left the rifle wrapped in a towel.”
Weapon recovered
The investigation led to the recovery of a rifle north of UVU’s Campus Drive Road, where authorities found a rifle wrapped in a “dark-colored towel.”
“The rifle was determined to be a Mauser Model 98 .30-06 caliber bolt action rifle,” Cox said. “The rifle had a scope mounted on top of it. Investigators noted inscriptions that had been engraved on casings found with the rifle.”
Governor: Robinson family ‘did the right thing’
Cox credited law enforcement and the public with swiftly closing in on Robinson.
“We are indebted to law enforcement across the state,” he said. “We’re grateful for everyone who worked together in such a short amount of time to find this person and to bring justice.”
WATCH: Utah governor details arrest of Tyler Robinson for Charlie Kirk’s murder
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CHARLIE KIRK
The Republican governor thanked Robinson’s family members for doing the “right thing.”
“I want to thank the public who has been so engaged reviewing videos, helping us with sending in tips and helping us get to this point,” Cox said. “I want to thank the family members of Tyler Robinson who did the right thing in this case and were able to bring him in to law enforcement as well.”
Cox also offered condolences to Kirk’s loved ones, saying: “I especially want to thank the family of Charlie Kirk — Erika, Charlie’s parents, his two young children.
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“This is a very sad day for our country, a terrible day for the state of Utah,” Cox said. “But I’m grateful that at this moment, we have an opportunity to bring closure to this very dark chapter in our nation’s history.”
Top school official justifies Kirk’s murder as ‘fair,’ mocks those praying for him
FIRST ON FOX: An assistant campus director at George Washington University took to social media shortly after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and said it is “fair” that Kirk was gunned down due to his support of gun ownership and the Second Amendment.
“If nothing else, it is fair, in a nation where children get massacred by gun violence on the regular, the people who advocate for continued gun ownership at the expense of those children are not immune from the consequences of their advocacy,” Anthony Pohorilak, Assistant Director of Academic Initiatives at George Washington University’s Mount Vernon Campus, posted on his personal Facebook after Kirk was killed.
“No thoughts no prayers,” the GWU employee added.
The Facebook post, exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital, received 37 likes and love reactions from Pohorilak’s friend group.
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The George Washington University website lists Pohorilak, who uses the pronouns “He/Him” in his bio, as working for the Campus Living & Residential Education department.
“The George Washington University unequivocally condemns all forms of violence,” a university spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.
“As a university with one of the most politically engaged campus communities in the country, we believe everyone is entitled to their beliefs, and no one should ever be subject to violence for expressing their views. This individual employee is not authorized to speak on behalf of GW, and his opinions do not reflect those of the university.”
PENTAGON ANNOUNCES ‘ZERO TOLERANCE’ FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL MOCKING CHARLIE KIRK’S ASSASSINATION
Following news of Kirk’s death, social media has been littered with examples of individuals celebrating or justifying the assassination, some of which have resulted in termination.
The NFL’s Carolina Panthers fired a member of the team’s communications department this week after a social media post from the employee appeared to show him questioning why people were sad that Kirk had been shot and killed. The song “Protect Ya Neck” from the Wu-Tang Clan was also shared.
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After Kirk was shot Wednesday afternoon, MSNBC’s Matthew Dowd suggested it was caused by a chain reaction from his “hateful words” against various groups. Kirk, a leading conservative activist and top ally of President Donald Trump, later died at the age of 31.
Dowd was later fired from the network, and an apology was issued.
Several examples have come from academia, including at the University of Mississippi, where a staff member was terminated after making insensitive remarks on social media, Mississippi Today reported.
At Middle Tennessee State University, a dean was fired after saying she has “zero sympathy” for Kirk, USA Today reported.
Florida to investigate teachers ‘celebrating’ conservative leader’s assassination
The Florida Department of Education plans to investigate any teachers in the state who engage in “vile, sanctionable behavior” related to the assassination Wednesday of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
“It has been brought to my attention that some Florida educators have posted despicable comments on social media regarding the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk,” Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas wrote in a memo sent out to state school superintendents and shared with Fox News Digital.
“These few are not a reflection of the great, high-quality teachers who make up the vast majority of Florida’s educators. Nevertheless, I will be conducting an investigation of every educator who engages in this vile, sanctionable behavior.”
Kamoutsas said the memo should serve as a reminder that teachers are “held to a higher standard as public servants.”
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The memo came after a teacher in Clay County was reportedly suspended for allegedly sharing a post on social media that said, “This may not be the obituary we were all hoping to wake up to, but this is a close second for me,” according to Florida’s Voice.
Kamoutsas shared a news article about the suspension on Thursday, writing on X, “I commend Superintendent Broskie @oneclayschools for taking swift action to suspend a teacher who despicably celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk — a dedicated conservative, Christian, and family man. Such behavior is unacceptable and must have consequences.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also shared the Department of Education memo on his X page, writing, “Celebrating the assassination of a 31-year-old father of two young kids is disturbing; that teachers would be among those who do so is completely unacceptable. Glad @StasiKamoutsas is bringing accountability. It is sad that we’ve seen a number of teachers across America celebrate Charlie Kirk’s murder.”
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The memo noted that teachers are subject to ethical guidelines and said the commissioner could use “probable cause to sanction an educator’s certificate.” An educator’s conduct that makes a student or their family feel “unwelcome or unwilling to participate in the learning environment” could also be a violation.
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“Although educators have First Amendment rights, these rights do not extend without limit into their professional duties,” Kamoutsas added. “An educator’s personal views that are made public may undermine the trust of the students and families that they serve.”
Popular BBQ restaurant loses partnerships after co-owner’s vile post about Charlie Kirk
A popular Ohio barbecue restaurant is facing major backlash after one of its co-owners called conservative activist Charlie Kirk a “piece of s—” in a social media post after his assassination.
Shortly after Kirk, 31, was shot Wednesday while speaking at a campus event in Utah, Aaron Sharpe, co-owner of Lucius Q in Cincinnati, commented on a Facebook post from someone offering prayers for the husband and father of two.
“Good riddance,” Sharpe wrote in a post that is no longer publicly visible but has been circulated widely online in screenshots. “What a piece of s—,” he added.
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On Wednesday evening, Sharpe doubled down on Facebook, posting, “Don’t you dare come at me with your hypocrisy. … If you think that threats of social media attacks on me or my business will in any way keep me silent about what I believe, you are sorely mistaken.”
Many of his social media posts expressed criticism of President Donald Trump, who was an ally of Kirk. A 22-year-old suspect in Kirk’s assassination has been arrested, law enforcement officials said Friday.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Sharpe for comment. By late Friday morning, his Facebook account appeared to be deactivated.
On Thursday, several of Lucius Q’s business partners announced they had cut ties with the restaurant. Lucius Q later announced it had parted ways with Sharpe.
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Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium, home to Major League Soccer’s FC Cincinnati and is a former Lucius Q vendor site, took to social media saying it had terminated its relationship with the restaurant.
“FC Cincinnati and TQL Stadium expect our vendors and partners to uphold the values of respect and tolerance that are core to our club’s identity,” the stadium said in its statement.
In addition to its flagship location in Cincinnati’s Pendleton neighborhood, Lucius Q also operates inside the Gatherall food hall at the Factory 52 development in Norwood. The venues said in statements that they are taking the matter “very seriously” and are reviewing “all legal options.”
Lucius Q’s longtime meat supplier, Avril Bleh Meat Market, also announced that it has ended its relationship with the barbecue restaurant.
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“We never condone violence of any sort,” the family-owned butcher said on Facebook. “For this reason, we have decided to sever our relationship with Lucius Q BBQ.”
Steve Bleh, one of the sons in the family business, wrote in a separate post, “The family has decided we do not want to be involved with Lucius Q. No amount of money will ever be worth it.”
Following the fallout with its partners, Lucius Q announced that Sharpe was “no longer associated with the business.”
“We found the comments he made on his personal social media pages offensive and, as a result, have severed ties with him,” a post on the company’s Facebook page read.
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Critics were quick to push back, however.
“You can’t get rid of a partial owner that fast,” one man commented on Facebook.
“Too late,” several others said.
In a separate post Friday afternoon, Lucius Q said it had successfully removed Sharpe from the business after his “abominable comments.”
“While it is a difficult process to remove a minority owner from a partnership, the point is this person is no longer involved with Lucius Q in any way, shape or form,” the group told Fox News Digital in an email. “The rest is just legal details.”
Lucius Q apologized for Sharpe’s remarks and said the comments “do not reflect the feelings of the current owners, investors, management or our incredible staff.”
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“As husbands, fathers, wives and mothers ourselves, we’d like to personally apologize to the family of Charlie Kirk. We take our commitment to the city of Cincinnati seriously and look forward to earning back its business.”
“We’d like to personally apologize to the family of Charlie Kirk.”
Backlash has continued to mount, with more than 4,000 people slamming Sharpe on the restaurant’s X account and posting dozens of one-star reviews on Lucius Q’s Google reviews page.
Though the restaurant described him as a “minority owner,” a 2019 article from Northern Kentucky University described how Sharpe began looking for a side business while working as a station manager for WNKU, a Cincinnati radio station.
He and friend Jeff Keate later tapped Shane Spears to help launch Lucius Q in 2018.
The restaurant was featured in a 2020 episode of celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s Food Network show “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.”
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A now-deleted LinkedIn profile apparently belonging to Sharpe described him as a “communicator” and “community builder.”
His Facebook profile also said he previously worked as a disc jockey and announcer for the Cincinnati Reds. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Reds for comment.
Team USA responds after trans Olympian celebrated Charlie Kirk assassination
USA Cycling has provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing social media posts by transgender athlete Chelsea Wolfe, an alternate in BMX for the U.S. at the Tokyo Olympics, celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination this week.
“The views of current and former national team athletes are their own and do not reflect those of USA Cycling. Chelsea Wolfe has not been a member of the USA Cycling National Team or a member of USA Cycling since 2023,” the statement read.
Wolfe’s social media statements, made via Instagram story, included a reshare of news of Kirk’s assassination with an animated caption that read “We did it!” and a selfie with a caption that suggested Kirk was a “Nazi.”
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“Being a Nazi is completely optional btw. He didn’t have to do all that, but he did and now he’s dead. Don’t live your life in a way that the world is better following your death,” Wolfe wrote.
Wolfe has since been the subject of backlash on social media. Women’s tennis legend and known liberal Martina Navratilova and conservative influencer Riley Gaines have been among those to criticize Wolfe publicly.
Wolfe appeared to acknowledge the backlash in a post on Thursday night, sharing a meme with the caption that read, “Your boos mean nothing. I’ve seen what makes you cheer.”
Wolfe previously said in a March 2020 Facebook post that the athlete hoped to “burn the American flag” at the Tokyo Olympics.
“My goal is to win the Olympics so I can burn a U.S. flag on the podium. This is what they focus on during a pandemic. Hurting trans children,” Wolfe wrote on Facebook on March 25, 2020.
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The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) previously employed a gender eligibility policy that allowed biological males to compete in the women’s category at the time of Wolfe’s status as an Olympic alternate in 2021.
The USOPC changed its athlete safety policy in July to suggest it will comply with President Donald Trump’s “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order.
USA Cycling released an updated policy earlier in September, restricting competitors in the women’s category to females, which says, “Female means a person belonging, at conception, to the sex that produces the large reproductive cell.”
Law enforcement officials worked frantically in the aftermath of Kirk’s death to track down and arrest the suspect, who they announced Friday was Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old Utah man, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox confirmed Friday.
The rifle that federal investigators believe was used in the shooting contained ammunition inscribed with anti-fascist messaging, shedding light on the suspect’s motive. One used casing and three unused casings contained the writings, Cox said.
FBI Director Kash Patel laid out the timeline of the investigation Friday, saying it took the FBI and Utah law enforcement 33 hours to make an arrest. Patel said authorities made “historic progress” in such a short duration of time.
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Cox on Friday called the shooting a “political assassination.”
Pritzker calls for ‘full accounting’ after deadly ICE officer-involved shooting
A man accused of severely injuring an ICE officer while plowing through a vehicle stop in Chicago Friday morning was fatally shot, officials confirmed.
ICE officers were conducting a vehicle stop when the man allegedly tried to drive his vehicle into the arrest team, an ICE spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
One officer was hit and dragged by the vehicle as the suspect fled.
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Fearing for his life, the officer fired his gun and struck the suspect, the spokesperson said.
The ICE officer and suspect immediately received medical treatment and were taken to a hospital, where the suspect was pronounced dead.
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The officer sustained severe injuries but is in stable condition, according to officials.
The suspect has not yet been publicly identified.
“Viral social media videos and activists encouraging illegal aliens to resist law enforcement not only spread misinformation, but also undermine public safety, the safety of our officers and those being apprehended,” the spokesperson said.
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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker later posted on X calling for a “full, factual accounting” of the incident.
“I am aware of the troubling incident that has unfolded in Franklin Park,” Pritzker wrote in the post. “This is a developing situation and the people of Illinois deserve a full, factual accounting of what’s happened today to ensure transparency and accountability.”
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Omar’s profanity-filled reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death ignites social media firestorm
Conservatives on social media are railing against Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., over a Substack appearance where she criticized conservative commentator Charlie Kirk following his assassination, with some calling for her to be removed from Congress.
“Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) is now ATTACKING and SMEARING Charlie Kirk after he was assassinated,” conservative influencer account LibsofTikTok posted on X Thursday. “This is an elected representative. She needs to RESIGN. EVIL.”
Red State writer Bonchie wrote on X, “Ilhan Omar going on with Mehdi Hasan so they can both mock Charlie Kirk and lie about his ‘actions’ to justify his assassination is exactly what you’d expect.”
“Look at their grins,” conservative influencer account End Wokeness posted on X.
CHARLIE KIRK’S MURDER THE LATEST IN INCREASING POLITICAL VIOLENCE NATIONWIDE, FROM PA GOVERNOR TO SCOTUS
“Yeah I’ve had it with tolerance for evil,” conservative influencer Robby Starbuck posted on X. “Expel Ilhan Omar from Congress and deport her to Somalia. She reportedly committed immigration fraud with her sham marriage to her brother so this shouldn’t be hard to do. I have no tolerance left for this evil.”
The clip drew the attention of Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert, who wrote on X, “@IlhanMN, in the United States of America we have freedom of speech.”
Boebert added, “I understand that in Somalia, where you come from and would do well to go back to, this isn’t a thing. In our county, having political disagreements with someone isn’t a reason to justify their execution.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to Omar’s office for comment and was directed to a social media post from Omar saying she “disagreed with Charlie Kirk vehemently about his rhetoric” but does not “wish violence on anyone.”
“Right-wing accounts trying to spin a false story when I condemned his murder multiple times is fitting for their agenda to villainize the left to hide from the fact that Donald Trump gins up hate on a daily basis.”
The interview in question, a Zeteo Town Hall with Mehdi Hasan, began with Omar expressing condolences to Kirk’s family.
“It was really mortifying to hear the news,” Omar said when asked about her reaction to the killing. “All I could think about was his wife, his children, that image is going to live forever.”
Omar added that her heart “breaks” for those babies before getting into a conversation about Republicans criticizing violence from the left, calling it “disgusting” and then criticizing Kirk and making the comments that infuriated conservatives online.
“But what I do know for sure is that Charlie Kirk was someone who once said, ‘Guns save lives’ after a school shooting,” Omar said. “Charlie was someone who was willing to debate and downplay the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police … downplay slavery and what Black people have gone through in this country by saying Juneteenth should never exist.”
Omar went on to lament that there are a “lot of people who are out there talking” about Kirk “just wanting to have a civil debate,” prompting Hasan to interject and call it a “complete rewriting of history.”
“Yeah,” Omar responded. “There is nothing more effed up than to completely pretend that his words and actions have not been recorded and in existence for the last decade or so.”
Omar then criticized GOP Rep. Nancy Mace and President Trump, saying the president has “incited violence against people like me.”
“And so, you know, these people are full of s—, and it’s important for us to call them out, while we feel anger and sadness and have, you know, empathy, which Charlie said it shouldn’t exist because that’s a newly created word or something,” Omar said.
“Like, I have empathy for his kids and his wife and what they’re going through because I do not want that. No one should go through that, and we should hold ourselves, I hope, to a higher standard.”
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Hasan then claimed that the “politicizing is being done by the right” and referred to it as a “problem” that you can’t say “anything negative” about someone when they die.”
“I’m happy to not say anything negative and let the family mourn, but it’s when everyone else tries to kind of do a whitewashing of who that person was,” Hasan continued as Omar nodded along.
The X account for Zeteo News, founded by Hasan, wrote “this is a lie” in response to criticism over Omar’s comments, noting that Omar reacted with “sadness” for Kirk’s family.
On Friday, authorities announced that they had arrested a suspect, 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson.
President Trump called Kirk’s murder a “dark moment” for the United States and ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until Sunday evening.
Former Biden press secretary says senior aides dictated health, mental acuity spin
Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told House investigators she did not see a change in former President Joe Biden’s competency over several years, but she acknowledged he was “not the same speaker he was when she met him.”
Jean-Pierre was the latest in a string of former Biden White House officials to be interviewed by House Oversight Committee investigators over an alleged cover-up of the ex-president’s mental acuity.
She did not speak to reporters on her way into the interview just off Capitol Hill, nor did she speak after the nearly five-hour, closed-door transcribed interview.
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But a source familiar with the interview shared with Fox News Digital that Jean-Pierre told investigators that while working for Biden in various capacities from 2009 to 2025, “she did not see a change in President Biden’s competency.”
“She did acknowledge President Biden is not the same speaker he was when she met him,” the source noted. “She does not know why his speaking changed and never asked him.”
Jean-Pierre, one of the most high-profile figures from the Biden administration to appear before the committee, was among those who publicly defended Biden after his June 2024 debate against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
During the debate, Jean-Pierre said she was told by “senior staff that President Biden had a cold,” the source said.
Shortly after the debate, she told reporters at a press briefing in early July that Biden was “as sharp as ever.”
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Jean-Pierre told investigators that talking points were entered into her binder for press briefings by “various advisors,” but talking points related specifically to Biden’s health and mental acuity “were handled exclusively at the senior level.”
She cited the “cheap fakes” talking point, which, at the time, Jean-Pierre charged were people online manipulating videos of Biden to mislead the public about his health and cognitive ability. She told investigators that point in particular “appeared as a talking point in her binder, but she does not know specifically who added it.”
She also said she never spoke with anyone in the White House “personally concerned about President Biden’s health.”
Jean-Pierre began her role as White House press secretary in 2022, shortly after former White House press secretary Jen Psaki left the position, and she stayed on until the end of Biden’s presidency in January.
But her relationship with Biden-world became estranged after her departure from the Democratic Party earlier this year, which was announced in a press release for her forthcoming book, “Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines.”
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Jean-Pierre’s appearance before investigators came as House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said earlier this week that his panel’s ongoing probe into Biden’s use of an autopen was coming to its conclusion.
The focus in particular was whether top officials engaged in a cover-up of Biden’s mental and physical state in the White House and whether any executive actions or a litany of pardons were approved via autopen without Biden’s full awareness.
Comer said heading into the hearing that one of the questions at the top of his mind was whether “these pardons and executive orders [are] legal?”
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“I don’t think anyone’s going to argue that the process that was used for these autopens is the ideal process,” Comer said. “And what we’ve seen with the emails that have surfaced in the last week — even the Merrick Garland Department of Justice was very concerned about how this administration was using the autopen.
“When people in the Department of Justice email people who they believe were the ones making the decisions on the autopen and asked the question via email from the Department of Justice, ‘Does the president even know who they just pardoned?’ I mean, that’s very concerning.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Jean-Pierre’s lawyers and Biden’s office but did not immediately receive a response.
Memphis restaurant owner fires back at media as Trump plans to send National Guard
As Memphis prepares for the arrival of the National Guard following President Donald Trump’s announcement Friday morning on “Fox & Friends,” one downtown restaurant is focused on what it’s always done, serving ribs to hungry locals and tourists.
Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous, the legendary barbecue rib spot tucked into a downtown alley since 1948, remains a symbol of stability in a city thrust into the national spotlight.
John Vergos, the restaurant’s co-owner and son of the late founder, told Fox News Digital that Memphis is “no better, no worse than any other city.”
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“I’m not saying we don’t have problems, but I don’t know which city does not,” he added.
While headlines may paint a grim picture of Memphis, the only thing smoking inside the Rendezvous is the barbecue pit, Vergos indicated.
“We probably have half tourists and half locals, and our business has been down somewhat,” Vergos said. “I don’t know if that’s reflective of the restaurant business nationally being down a little bit. I think tourism in Memphis is down, but, again, we’ve been pretty beat up in the media.”
Co-owner Anna Vergos Blair, who helps manage the family business, said it’s the outside perception of Memphis that worries her most.
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She pointed to the city’s culinary identity as proof Memphis is far more complex than the headlines suggest.
“Memphis has an amazing, almost underrated food scene,” Blair said. “Memphis is known for barbecue, which is great for us, but Memphis has a lot more than barbecue.”
Barbecue may be the headliner, but Vergos said the city’s culinary scene is deep, soulful and uniquely Memphis.
“Memphis is a great foodie town,” he said. “It’s not a chain kind of city. It has tons of family-owned businesses.”
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Vergos served two terms as a city councilman from 1996 to 2004. He said he doesn’t feel unsafe in Memphis and claimed there has “never” been a violent incident in or around the restaurant.
Statistics provided by the White House, however, show that Memphis had the highest violent crime rate and third-highest murder rate in the United States last year. There have been 149 homicides in the city so far this year, according to the White House.
“I’m grateful for the president’s unwavering support and commitment to providing every resource necessary to serve Memphians, and I look forward to working with local officials and law enforcement to continue delivering results,” Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee wrote on X after Trump’s announcement.
“As one of America’s world-class cities, Memphis remains on a path to greatness, and we are not going to let anything hold them back.”
Vergos said Memphis is a “resilient city” that has overcome tumultuous moments in American history, namely the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
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Barbecue — and the Rendezvous — has played a role in helping to shift the city’s public perception, the owners said.
“I think my grandfather named it the Rendezvous [because] it means ‘a meeting place,'” Blair said. “And I think food does that a lot. I think restaurants do that a lot, and they continue to do that in Memphis every single day.”
The goal, she said, “is to make people happy and have people enjoy food and enjoy company and get out of their houses and come have a night off.”
Vergos said visitors to the city and his restaurant “should feel safe,” but he admits the negative headlines about Memphis might make customers “a little bit reluctant.”
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He added, “If they’re determined to send the National Guard down, I hope it’s done in a constructive way, and I hope that it’s done [in coordination] with local and state officials.”