By Tara Duggan, Staff Writer Updated April 9, 2026 (SFChronicle.com)
Gift Article
Philz Coffee on Castro Street in San Francisco. The company is drawing criticism for deciding to remove Pride flags from all of its locations.Lea Suzuki/S.F. Chronicle
Philz Coffee, a San Francisco-born coffee chain, will remove Pride flags from all of its locations, the company said Wednesday, confirming the policy after an online petition criticizing the move spread rapidly on social media.
On Sunday, a group calling itself Philz Coffee Baristas decried in a Change.org petition what it described as “Philz Coffee’s recent decision to remove pride flags from their stores” and asked the company to reverse it.
In an emailed statement to the Chronicle, CEO Mahesh Sadarangani said that Philz “was working toward creating a more consistent, inclusive experience across all our stores, including removing a variety of flags and other decor.” The company did not answer a list of detailed questions the Chronicle sent to its public relations firm.
It’s unclear when the flags will be taken down. On Thursday, a large Pride flag and chalkboard sign adorned with a rainbow and unicorn reading, “Welcome to the Queerest coffee shop in town. Period,” still hung above the barista station in the Castro location. Similar decorations remained on display at a downtown San Francisco location of Philz Wednesday morning.
“If you have any conscience, take your money elsewhere,” Don Doyle, a longtime neighborhood resident and Philz customer, told people walking toward the Castro Philz Coffee on Thursday. The store is two doors down from the headquarters of the nonprofit National AIDS Memorial.
Doyle called the pending Pride flag removal a form of “erasure” of the gay community, comparing it to attitudes during the Reagan administration and the AIDS crisis. “Thousands of people died because they wouldn’t allow for conversations around this community,” he said.
The Change.org petition echoed that sentiment. “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,” it reads. “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 Chronicle was unable to reach the organizers of the petition through Change.org before publication. By Thursday afternoon, about 2,700 people had signed the petition. The company’s decision also drew intense criticism on Reddit.
Philz’s “longstanding support of the LGBTQIA+ community is unchanged,” Sadarangani said in his statement. “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.”
Employees at the Noe Valley, Castro and Chase Center locations of Philz told the Chronicle they had not heard about the policy directly from the company. Isabella Dixon, team leader at the Noe Valley Philz, said that a Pride flag that used to hang at the store disappeared a few months ago, and that someone more recently removed a plaque that hung on the front door saying “Everyone is welcome” with a Pride flag.
“Considering everything going on in the world — we’re seeing a fall into more conservative values and the rise of fascism with Trump — it’s a weird thing to do right now,” Gordon Nipper, a barista at the Castro Philz, said about the policy.
Two Bay Area LGBTQ+ organizations, San Francisco Pride and Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, made statements urging Philz to reverse the policy Thursday.
“Philz is part of the neighborhood here in San Francisco, so the choice to remove Pride flags from their cafes is deeply disappointing. Businesses that operate in and benefit from LGBTQ+ communities should stand with us, especially as we face unprecedented rollbacks of our rights at the federal level,” said Suzanne Ford, executive director of San Francisco Pride, in a statement. “It may seem small, but removing a Pride flag sends a message, and for many in this neighborhood, it feels like another blow right at home.”
Sadarangani has been CEO since 2021. Phil Jaber and his son Jacob founded Philz in Jaber’s former corner store on 24th Street in the Mission in 2003. It became known for its cup-at-a-time pourovers and specialty drinks, such as iced mojito coffees brewed with fresh mint. The company expanded, eventually moving its headquarters to Oakland and opening more than 60 locations throughout California and in Chicago. Last year, Philz was purchased by private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co., which also owns Popeyes Chicken and El Pollo Loco, for a reported $145 million, according to Mission Local, though the company did not provide details of the deal.
Philz and its employees have grappled over a number of issues since Sadarangani took over as CEO from Jacob Jaber in 2021. In 2023, soon after the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, Philz employees were reportedly sent home from work for wearing “Free Palestine” pins; many noted at the time that the Jabers are Palestinian American. The conflict was a factor in the subsequent union effort by employees. Last year, after Freeman Spogli & Co. purchased the company, 10 former employees who had invested in the company lost the value of their stock; people employed at the time of the acquisition received a bonus of $525.
This story was updated with additional reporting and context.
April 8, 2026 | Updated April 9, 2026 1:23 p.m.
Reporter
Tara Duggan is a reporter in the Chronicle’s Food & Wine department, where she has been on the staff for over 20 years, and was also recently a reporter on Chronicle’s climate and environment team. She wrote investigations into nonprofit organizations and businesses as well as the narrative story “The Fisherman’s Secret,” a finalist for an Online Journalism Award. She also won a James Beard Award for her food journalism and is the author of five cookbooks. Reach her at tduggan@sfchronicle.com
