Philz Coffee Faces Backlash Over Pride Flag Removal
Petition from baristas alleges nearly 60 stores were told to remove Pride flags and displays as CEO defends the move.
Philz Coffee is facing backlash after directing its shops to remove Pride flags and related decor from in-store displays.
A petition launched on Change.org by individuals claiming to be Philz baristas alleges the coffee chain ordered Pride flags removed from nearly 60 stores across California and Illinois, saying the directive has “left many team members and customers feeling confounded and unsupported.”
“The pride flags within the stores hold deep meaning and value to both staff and visitors, symbolizing that these locations are safe and welcoming spaces for all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” the petition states. “Removing these flags risks alienating a core group of team members and loyal customers who see Philz not just as a coffee shop, but as a place where they are embraced and celebrated for who they are.”
The petition asks the chain to reconsider its decision and reinstate the Pride flags, which were once a common sight inside many Philz locations, alongside other banners expressing support for movements like Black Lives Matter. It has garnered more than 6,400 verified signatures.
CEO Mahesh Sadarangani confirmed in a statement to San Francisco CW affiliate KRON that the chain is pushing for the removal of Pride flags and other decor, but the company’s “longstanding support of the LGBTQIA+ community is unchanged.”
“We are working toward creating a more consistent, inclusive experience across all our stores, including removing a variety of flags and other decor,” he said. “This is a change in how our stores look, not in who we are. Our allyship runs deeper than what is on our walls. It shows up in who we hire, how we treat one another and in our annual Pride Month Unity celebration, which returns this June as it has every year. Unity is fundamental to how we operate.”
A manager at a San Francisco Philz Coffee shop told KRON that, at a recent company summit, Sadarangani encouraged stores to consider whether in-store displays make all customers feel included, but left decisions up to individual locations. The manager said the message may have been interpreted differently across stores.
Some employees at other locations told KRON they have not been asked to remove Pride flags, pointing to a lack of a consistent, centralized policy on in-store displays.
It remains unclear what prompted Sadarangani to urge stores to reconsider which flags or banners are displayed.
As reported by the LGBTQ news outlet them, people on the San Francisco subreddit claiming to be workers or patrons lambasted the new restrictions on flag displays, speculating whether the move stems from the company’s new ownership or efforts to make Philz a more “cookie-cutter” chain with identical decor across locations.
The San Francisco-based chain was acquired last August by private equity firm Freeman Spogli for $145 million, with Sadarangani expressing hope the deal would allow Philz to expand and open new locations, as reported by Restaurant Dive at the time.
California State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), who is running for Congress, posted a video to Instagram criticizing the move, noting that Philz got its start in San Francisco’s Mission District.
“[Philz] was an amazing small business, great coffee, really cool baristas. And then, unfortunately, got acquired by private equity,” Wiener says in the video. “And so now we have this private equity firm coming into San Francisco, and trying to say that our Philz Coffee locations can’t have a Pride flag. That is really gross.
“It shows, once again, the importance of small businesses that actually know a community, are rooted in a community, and are attuned to that community, as opposed to giant corporations that honestly don’t care. We have an atmosphere in this country where the LGBTQ community is under assault, and we need our business community to stand with LGBTQ people. And that means more small businesses, and more small businesses that actually get the community that they’re in.”
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