Café Owner Reflects on Controversy After Firing Over Political Support

A café owner in California expressed that her establishment is filled with “the right people” after terminating an employee who supported Charlie Kirk. Following the assassination of The Turning Point USA founder, Invita Café in Rancho Santa Fe honored him by placing a sticker on coffee cups.

Owner Sarah de Luca shared that the idea of using stickers came to her after Kirk’s death. “I never thought about putting stickers on the cups again after Friday,” she said. The café had previously shown support for Israel by wearing Israeli stickers during the conflict. “With Charlie, we were hosting him. We met him and his wife, Erica,” she added.

De Luca mentioned that she didn’t see any controversy in honoring someone who had been murdered. “Maybe it’s my ignorance,” she pondered. “It didn’t even cross my mind that someone could have a problem with someone being murdered.”

She had printed round white stickers reading “Thank you, Charlie Kirk” and “We Love You.” Although they had been loyal supporters of Kirk for years, the café received overwhelming backlash, with the phone ringing off the hook with calls describing the situation as “terrifying” and “horrifying.”

“We’ve had to shut down our Google and Yelp pages,” she noted. De Luca described her community’s support, which she credited for helping her stay grounded. “I was actually crying, asking ‘Where did these people come from?'” she recounted, adding that business surged by 312% due to the influx of supporters.

The small café quickly became crowded, with customers waiting up to 45 minutes for service. De Luca stated, “No hatred appeared. It was just the righteous. I’m grateful for what you’re doing. Charlie would be proud.” The support came not only locally but from across the country.

Some customers even offered to pay for others’ drinks, with De Luca recounting a call from Georgia where someone wanted to buy 100 drinks for a total of $500. “Someone walked away leaving with $300 left,” she said.

Invita Café, which opened nine years ago, is inspired by De Luca’s Italian heritage, creating a space where espresso brings people together. “The idea was to create a space that connects the community and reflects the traditions I grew up with,” she stated.

De Luca firmly believes that “God is behind all this.” She concluded with appreciation for the unexpected support, saying, “This is insane. But I think Charlie was proud.” The café continues to have stickers and hosts Turning Point USA events.