Invita Café, the North County coffee company with shops in Rancho Santa Fe and Carlsbad, is under fire after honoring conservative media figure Charlie Kirk with “Thank You Charlie Kirk” stickers on drink cups and a memorial post on Instagram. The tributes appeared days after Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a lightning-rod in national politics, was killed in a high-profile shooting that has prompted wall-to-wall coverage and an ongoing investigation. The café’s message - "Stand up. Speak out."- landed with a thud for many customers who said politics had no place on their latte, while others applauded the shop for being explicit about its values.
The spark came from a customer photo of an iced coffee bearing the memorial sticker, which quickly spread online as Invita’s own social post also circulated. By Monday morning, the flap had jumped platforms: Yelp and Google showed a rush of one-star and five-star posts, the familiar pattern of "review bombing" that follows political controversies, while a thread on the r/sandiego subreddit vaulted to the top of the community with roughly 19,000 upvotes and 4,800 comments in four hours.
In that discussion, some commenters urged boycotts and asked why a neighborhood café would take a stance on a polarizing national figure; others argued that a business has every right to speak and that consumers are free to spend elsewhere. Several users also claimed the company referenced donating proceeds connected to the tribute, inflaming the debate over whether a purchase implicitly supports a cause.
Invita cafés are reportedly operated by Sara DeLuca, a 28-year-old San Diego native who recently took over Orfila Vineyards & Winery in Escondido and Oceanside. DeLuca is the daughter of Dario DeLuca, president of Rancho Santa Fe–based Pacifica Enterprises Investments, a major real estate investment firm with a portfolio that includes Belmont Park in Mission Beach, the Lakehouse Hotel on Lake San Marcos, and Fit Athletic Centers. The family’s prominent business ties have fueled further debate online about Invita’s positioning and community role.
Invita's memorials arrive amid a raw national moment. Kirk, a prolific conservative commentator whose organization mobilized young right-leaning voters and drew frequent criticism for what some described as inflammatory rhetoric, was shot and killed last week. Within hours, memorials proliferated across social media and public events, while detractors countered that celebrating a figure defined by grievance politics was itself divisive. That clash of narratives is now playing out at a hyper-local level across San Diego’s coffee circles, where some regulars say the café’s stance makes them feel unwelcome and others say they’re more likely to stop in because the business "stood up."
Beyond the online firestorm, the blowback raises practical questions for small businesses about brand risk and community fit. Independent operators increasingly navigate a marketplace where silence can be read as complicity and statements can instantly alienate half the audience. For Invita, the short-term impact is unmistakable: surging attention, social feeds ablaze, and ratings on public platforms in flux. The longer-term impact will be measured in foot traffic and loyalty - whether customers who recoil today return in a week, and whether the core clientele in Rancho Santa Fe and coastal Carlsbad rallies behind the company’s decision.
Invita Café operates at 8021 Calle Ambiente, Suite 506, in Rancho Santa Fe and 6806 Embarcadero Lane in Carlsbad. For more information, visit invitacafe.com.
Invita's memorials arrive amid a raw national moment. Kirk, a prolific conservative commentator whose organization mobilized young right-leaning voters and drew frequent criticism for what some described as inflammatory rhetoric, was shot and killed last week. Within hours, memorials proliferated across social media and public events, while detractors countered that celebrating a figure defined by grievance politics was itself divisive. That clash of narratives is now playing out at a hyper-local level across San Diego’s coffee circles, where some regulars say the café’s stance makes them feel unwelcome and others say they’re more likely to stop in because the business "stood up."
Beyond the online firestorm, the blowback raises practical questions for small businesses about brand risk and community fit. Independent operators increasingly navigate a marketplace where silence can be read as complicity and statements can instantly alienate half the audience. For Invita, the short-term impact is unmistakable: surging attention, social feeds ablaze, and ratings on public platforms in flux. The longer-term impact will be measured in foot traffic and loyalty - whether customers who recoil today return in a week, and whether the core clientele in Rancho Santa Fe and coastal Carlsbad rallies behind the company’s decision.
Invita Café operates at 8021 Calle Ambiente, Suite 506, in Rancho Santa Fe and 6806 Embarcadero Lane in Carlsbad. For more information, visit invitacafe.com.
Originally published on September 16, 2025.