Philz Coffee in the Castro has become the front lines in a company culture war. Reporters and confused customers have flooded the cafe, asking about the company\u2019s decision to remove Pride flags \u2014 among other wall decor \u2014 from all its locations.<\/p>\n
At the Castro location Thursday, a Pride flag still hung from the slanted ceiling. An artist was selling work featuring men in jockstraps. A chalkboard made the point clear: \u201cWelcome to the queerest coffee shop in town. Period.\u201d<\/p>\n
Philz CEO Mahesh Sadarangani said the decision to remove the flags is part of an effort to create a \u201cmore consistent, inclusive experience across all our stores.\u201d Not everyone agrees, including the thousands of signatories to a petition decrying the change and LGBTQ+ nonprofits reconsidering their affiliation with the SF-based company, which has more than 80 stores in California and Chicago.<\/p>\n
The move has been frustrating and confusing to baristas, who are fielding questions from regulars. Some baristas interviewed by The Standard said the company\u2019s queer-friendly appearance is why they chose to work there. One employee estimated that 90% of the staffers at the Castro location identify as queer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis store being in the Castro, there\u2019s so much gay history in it. People come to this area to be seen and recognized and honored,\u201d said a barista. \u201cI\u2019ll wear a Pride flag dress if I have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is a version of the Pride flag on display in a majority of Philz stores in San Francisco. A downtown location features a California flag with a rainbow trim. The Salesforce location has a banner of Pride flags. Most baristas said Wednesday that\u00a0they had not heard of the policy change and were shocked that it was even a possibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI doubt that this will be applied,\u201d said an employee at the Castro location. \u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s going to be even a possibility. I\u2019ll reach out to Mahesh myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
By Thursday morning, they were getting dozens of questions about the change from customers. The baristas said they had not received direct instructions from the corporate office.<\/p>\n
Philz hasn\u2019t been a scrappy local chain for a while. The move to remove Pride flags comes less than a year after Philz, which was founded in the Mission in 2003, was acquired by private equity firm Freeman Spogli & Co. for $145 million. At the time, employees said the culture of the company, which previously prioritized employees\u2019 well-being, had become more corporate as it took on large investments and opened more stores.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As a result of the private equity acquisition, some former employees who had invested in the company lost tens of thousands of dollars. (opens in new tab)<\/a><\/p>\n A Change.org (opens in new tab)<\/a> petition (opens in new tab)<\/a> protesting the removal of the flags has more than 2,400 signatures. Signers accused Philz of catering to MAGA; some customers threatened to boycott.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite shuttering its original Mission location in 2023, the company retains its \u201cMission-made\u201d slogan. The original location, with its chalkboard wall and slouchy furniture, is a departure from the clean lines and minimalist aesthetic of its coffee-shop competitors \u2014\u00a0the direction Philz appears to be heading.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAutonomy amongst stores is gone,\u201d said Mary Morrison, who worked at Philz in Corte Madera for more than a decade but quit this year, citing a change in work culture. In a precursor to the policy change on flags, employees at the Corte Madera location, acting on the orders of management, removed first-responder paraphernalia that had been displayed. That was followed by the removal of a Pride flag in December.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a change in how our stores look, not in who we are,\u201d Sadarangani said. \u201cOur allyship runs deeper than what is on our walls.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n