Owner of SF coffee shop issues message after removing Pride flags

A San Francisco coffee shop is flattening the noise around its removal of Pride flags in stores as it plans on a new “unifying” piece of artwork.

Philz Coffee CEO Mahesh Sadarangani did not apologize for the removal in a company-wide memo, but shared the company’s future plans and noted he could have communicated it better.

“We hear and deeply understand that we did not handle changes to store decor as well as we should have, especially as true allies to the community,” he said. “Some of our team members have shared that those changes felt personal.”

The coffee chain announced it was yanking Pride flags from stores last week after a Change.org petition gathered, as of Thursday, more than 7,000 signatures demanding them to “proudly display the Pride flags once again.”

Sadarangani says the company is not “mov(ing) away from supporting the LGBTQIA+ community,” but will continue to support the community with a sticker contest, donations to community organizations, and plans on creating a new “unifying” piece of artwork.

“Over the last year, we have been working on custom Philz artwork to set the expectations for a safe and inclusive space for all, including our LGBTQIA+ community,” he said in a memo.

“We want one piece of artwork that unifies all of Philz, that openly showcases our commitment to honoring the uniqueness and diversity of each person who enters our place.” 

One Philz Coffee manager told the San Francisco Chronicle that they were “blindsided” by the decision to pull Pride flags.

Bay Area LGBTQ+ organizations slammed the decision to pull the flags from the coffee locations, most of which are located in California. Suzanne Ford, executive director of San Francisco Pride, rallied to protest the flag’s removal in front of San Francisco Philz store.

“The rainbow flag is a symbol for the queer community, and this is the heart of the queer movement here in the Castro,” Ford told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We can’t just not say anything.”

Pride Month is observed in June. It’s unclear if the flag policy will extend to that month, though Sadarangani said the company’s “allyship” will show up in our “annual Pride Month Unity celebration.”

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