Philz Coffee will reverse its plan to remove Pride flags from its cafes, with every Pride flag that is up staying up and any Pride flag that was previously removed able to be put back up, according to the company. The reversal came after pressure from employees and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. Baristas circulated a petition calling for a reversal of the policy, which over 1,000 people signed by Wednesday, sources said.
The Human Rights Campaign celebrated the company's decision not to remove the flags, with the organization having organized more than 14,000 of its members and supporters to pressure the coffee shop to change course, the HRC reported. Sadarangani's decision followed a meeting with San Francisco Pride leaders Suzanne Ford and Jupiter Peraza, according to sources. Philz Coffee was purchased by private equity firm Freeman Spogli in August, the company stated.
What gave me reason to engage with Mahesh was something I don't always see from a CEO in this situation: genuine humility. He reached out, listened and understood that this wasn't about optics. Mahesh sat with our community members, heard their perspective and apologized, not as a formality but as a person who got it wrong and wanted to make it right. That matters.