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Suzanne Ford, executive director of San Francisco Pride, organizes a small protest outside the Philz Coffee in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, on April 10, 2026.<\/p>\n
Giselle Garza Lerma\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
A group of protesters gathered outside Philz Coffee<\/a> in San Francisco\u2019s Castro neighborhood on Friday afternoon to denounce the company\u2019s decision to remove Pride flags from its cafes.<\/p>\n The protest came after\u00a0Philz confirmed to the Chronicle on Wednesday that it planned to remove Pride flags from all of its locations. In a statement, CEO Mahesh\u00a0Sadarangani, who took over in 2021<\/a>, said the company was working to create \u201ca more consistent, inclusive experience across all our stores, including removing a variety of flags and other decor.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n By Friday, that explanation had done little to calm critics.<\/p>\n Outside the Castro shop, demonstrators called on the San Francisco-born coffee chain to reverse course.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Francisco protest centers on Philz Pride flag decision<\/p>\n Philz Coffee in The Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, on April 10, 2026.<\/p>\n Giselle Garza Lerma\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n Some said the decision felt especially jarring in the Castro, where Pride symbols are woven into the identity of the neighborhood and many businesses openly signal support for\u00a0LGBTQ+ customers and workers.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe have to say this is wrong,\u201d Suzanne Ford, executive director of San Francisco Pride<\/a>, said at the rally.<\/p>\n Ford said she decided to call for the protest<\/a> after seeing the reaction to the company\u2019s policy and after speaking out publicly the day before. She said the strong response<\/a> was about more than store decor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rainbow flag is a symbol for the queer community, and this is the heart of the queer movement here in the Castro,\u201d Ford said. \u201cWe can\u2019t just not say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n A social media post from Indivisible San Francisco promoted the Friday demonstration as a show of support for employees and patrons at \u201cThe Queerest Coffee Shop in Town,\u201d echoing signage long displayed inside the Castro Street cafe. The post argued that Pride flags had helped make Philz feel welcoming.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Founded in San Francisco in 2003, Philz built a loyal following on hand-crafted coffee drinks and neighborhood storefronts. But the company was acquired last year by private equity firm <\/a>Freeman Spogli & Co., a change some critics have pointed to as part of a broader shift in the company\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n That argument surfaced again Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Customers react to Philz Pride flag policy in Castro<\/p>\n Connie Jeung-Mills, is protesting the decision of Philz Coffee CEO, to take down pride flags inside of their stores. Jeung-Mills is a frequent customer and member of the queer community in the Catsro in San Francisco, on April 10, 2026.<\/p>\n Giselle Garza Lerma\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n Among those at the protest was Connie\u00a0Jeung-Mills, who said she has been a customer at the Castro Philz for years.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very upset that there\u2019s a new CEO who has this new policy saying that they cannot display Pride flags inside any of the stores,\u201d Jeung-Mills said. \u201cThat seems like a big slap in the face to those of us in the queer community, especially in the Castro.\u201d<\/p>\n Philz<\/a> has said its support for the LGBTQIA+ community has not changed. In its statement to the Chronicle, the company said the policy was about store appearance, not its values, and said its annual Pride Month Unity celebration would return in June.<\/p>\n The company had not publicly said when the flags or other unspecified objects would be removed from its cafes.\u00a0<\/p>\n As of Friday, the Pride-themed decor remained in place at the Castro store and at a downtown San Francisco location.<\/p>\n Backlash spreads in San Francisco over Philz Pride flag decision<\/p>\n Protesors hold signs, protesting the decision of Philz Coffee CEO to take down pride flags inside of their stores, in San Francisco, on April 10, 2026.<\/p>\n Giselle Garza Lerma\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n The backlash has grown quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A Change.org petition<\/a> launched by a group identifying itself as Philz Coffee Baristas accused the company of stripping away a symbol that employees and customers viewed as a marker of safety and belonging. By Friday evening, nearly 5,000 people had signed the petition.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEvery morning trans people in this country get up, and we get told somebody hates us and somebody\u2019s trying to do something to us,\u201d Ford said. \u201cIt may seem like mostly trans, but all, all LGBTQ people are under attack.\u201d<\/p>\n Other Bay Area coffee businesses also weighed in on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n Equator Coffees, which has locations in San Francisco, Oakland and Sausalito, wrote, \u201cAt Equator, we\u2019ve been LGBTQ+ since \u201895 and proud of it,\u201d while San Francisco\u2019s Cafe Suspiro<\/a> posted: \u201cCafe Suspiro stands against intolerance and indifference toward LGBTQ+. Coffee shops shouldn’t have CEOS.\u201d<\/p>\n Some demonstrators said they hoped Philz would reverse the policy before the dispute hardened into a boycott. Jeung-Mills said she did not want workers to bear the cost of the controversy, but said customers were prepared to keep up the pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want to start a boycott,\u201d she said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want these people to lose their jobs, but we really want to get the attention of the CEO and say this is just wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n In its call for the protest, Indivisible San Francisco said Philz had once been embraced in part for its visible support of LGBTQ+ employees and customers, but was now pulling back from that public display.<\/p>\n Whether the protest changes the company\u2019s position remains unclear.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ford said further action could follow if Philz moves ahead with the plan.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they, if they maintain that decision, I think you\u2019ll see more and more protests here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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