Hello everyone,

We would like to start by thanking everyone for their continued support by sharing and signing the petition. Truly, we are so grateful for your support, and we are hoping this will impact our CEOs position on putting our Pride flags back up. The baristas at my store and in the surrounding areas were really heartbroken and disappointed by the decision by Philz Coffee CEO Mahesh Sadarangani to remove all pride flags from our stores, which is why we decided to create the petition. 

We wanted management to see that this affects not only their baristas but their customers as well. Some of us have been with the company for years and we stay because we believe in its values. At Philz it’s important for us to create a safe space by welcoming people in as they are and creating customer connections. That being said, it's really disappointing to feel like the company isn’t supporting their baristas or customers right now. As baristas, we are the bread-and-butter of the company. We are the ones creating customer connections and representing what the brand stands for. The people who work in Philz home office don’t engage with customers on a day to day basis, so they don’t understand the repercussions of these actions and how it will alienate a huge portion of their customer base. 

We wholeheartedly disagree with the decisions being made to take down the flags, especially with all the legal attacks being made on LGBTQIA+ people. The queer community does not have a lot of open safe spaces in the current political climate, and taking away another one is just a shame. We are aware that Mahesh has given the excuse that they are doing this to be ‘more inclusive’ but to baristas and customers alike it feels like quite the opposite. When we tried to talk to corporate about why we were upset about them taking the flags down, they said they were listening to our concerns, but then disregarded all our points and said “we’re sorry you feel that way but if we put the flags back up we would be taking a step back, and we want to move forward.” 

Every year Philz makes money off of their Unity blend, and donates a portion of their profits to The Pointe Foundation, which is a scholarship fund for LGBTQ+ students. But Pride is year around, not just during June. It feels gross that this company claims to support the community, but only during Pride month when they can make money off of it. The least this company can do is support their baristas and their customers, but it feels like they are more interested in making money. 

For our LGBTQ+ team members and customers, “Bettering Days” starts with the fundamental assurance of safety and belonging. The Pride flag is the most direct visual signal of that welcome, and removing it does the opposite. It actively worsens the days of those who now feel invisible or excluded in their own community.

By stripping away this symbol, the company is retreating from its commitment to an “authentic, diverse, and caring” environment and undermining the very “earned trust” our leadership claims to value. We cannot “obsess over customers and team” while simultaneously removing the markers that tell them they are safe and seen. 

We are doing this to call out Philz leadership to live up to the values printed in our own employee handbook and restore this symbol of safety to our store immediately.