Coffee shop honoring Charlie Kirk sees huge sales boost after being 'flooded with righteous people'

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: A California cafe that honored Charlie Kirk with coffee cup stickers following his assassination has seen a massive surge in business, with its owner crediting the community for showing up in overwhelming numbers.

The gesture drew widespread attention, turning the local spot into a gathering place for those wanting to honor his memory.

Sales surge after community support

Just days later, Invita Cafe was filled with supportive customers. “I was actually tearing up because I was like, ‘Where did these people come from?’ We went 312% up in sales,” Owner Sara De Luca revealed.

The shop was soon packed with people waiting 30 to 45 minutes in line.

“We were flooded with righteous people just showing up, supporting us, defending us. They were defending Charlie. Obviously, we all were,” De Luca said.

Hate calls and one-star reviews

The decision, however, brought swift backlash online. According to De Luca, baristas received an influx of angry phone calls, and the café’s review pages were bombarded.

“We ended up having to shut down our Google page and Yelp page because we were getting an insane amount of one-star reviews,” she said. “People were saying horrible and horrific things.”

Despite the hostility, she remained calm, crediting her San Diego community and her church, Awaken, for rallying behind her.

Invita Cafe pays tribute to Charlie Kirk

Invita Cafe, located in Rancho Santa Fe, placed round white stickers on coffee cups with the words “Thank you, Charlie Kirk” and “We Love You.”

De Luca said the decision was personal, recalling the cafe’s past interactions with the late Turning Point USA founder.

“We’ve supported him for many, many years,” De Luca told Fox News Digital. “With Charlie, we had hosted him. We had met him. We’ve met Erika,” she said, referring to Kirk’s wife.

She explained that placing the stickers on cups was natural. “I didn’t think twice. When Israel went to war, we put on Israel stickers and started to support some of the IDF. That was when I was like, ‘Let’s be courageous.’”

Support comes from across the nation

The outpouring of support wasn’t limited to local patrons.

De Luca recalled people calling from different states to donate.

“We had somebody from Georgia call and say, ‘Can I just give you $500 and buy the next 100 drinks?’ Somebody walked in and left $300 and just walked out,” she said.

She added, “We didn’t have any haters show up. It was only the righteous showing up – just God-fearing people who are like, ‘Thank you for what you’re doing. Charlie would be proud.’”

One user on X commented, "Today I went in support of Invita Cafe in Rancho Santa Fe for putting Thank You Charlie Kirk stickers on there cups. Super nice people, both waiting and working."

Another said," Invita Coffee in Carlsbad CA. They got backlash and had to turn their review comments off but they stayed strong. I’ll be giving them by business indefinitely. God bless Charlie Kirk and all those that love him and miss him."

Another added," For anyone in the San Diego area there is a coffee shop called Invita that is putting “thank you Charlie” stickers on all of their coffees despite backlash. They have a location in Carlsbad and Rancho Santa Fe if you want to support!!!"

While another commented saying," Dems try 2 ruin Invita Cafe in SD, CA cuz they honor what Charlie Kirk accomplished in his 31 years by kindly & respectfully placing stickers on their cups that say, "Thank You Charlie Kirk We Love You." Try 2 destroy a business because of stickers. We Are Charlie Kirk."

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