A popular La Mesa coffee shop is closed indefinitely after employees walked out, alleging they were not paid on time.
Former workers at Public Square Coffee House protested outside the business in recent days, accusing management of repeatedly delaying paychecks. The demonstration led to an all-staff walkout and the resignation of the shop’s operators.
“If you can’t pay your employees, you don’t deserve a business,” protesters shouted outside the café.
Justin Taylor, a former employee who started working at Public Square in early February, said delayed pay became a recurring issue.
“They had told me it was gonna be a month before I got my first paycheck when I onboarded. Seemed a little weird,” Taylor said.
Taylor said his paycheck had been postponed multiple times.
“For me it was the third time they'd pushed my paycheck back, but for other people it had been more times than that,” he said.
Taylor described Public Square as more than just a workplace.
“It was a special place,” Taylor said. “I came here a separate time when they'd first opened.”
But frustration over unpaid wages eventually pushed him and others to take action.
“We’ve talked — and you’ve said you can’t pay us. And that is my hard line,” Taylor said. “If you can’t pay us, you’re going to let the community know that you can’t pay us.”
Days after the protest, the once-busy coffee shop in the heart of La Mesa remained closed until further notice.
Taylor said workers wanted customers to understand where their money was — and was not — going.
“You all love this place, you spend your hard-earned money here,” Taylor said. “It’s not going back to the people that make it possible.”
The delayed wages created financial hardships for employees.
Former employee Noah Bollow said missing paychecks impacted his ability to cover basic expenses.
“I wasn't able to make my rent,” Bollow said.
“They gave me the first two weeks that I worked after a month of working, and so that really hurt,” he added.
ABC 10News reached out to Public Square for comment.
In a statement provided to 10News, shareholders and now-former operators Alexis and Judah said they resigned from Public Square in solidarity with their team following the all-staff walkout.
They said financial struggles worsened as the holding company expanded to open additional sister locations.
It read in part:
“However, as our holding company expanded to build additional sister locations, our finances began to decline,” the statement read. “The La Mesa store had to carry heavy financial burdens, including loans used to fund new locations. This eventually led to delayed paychecks for ourselves and, later, for our staff.”
Taylor said speaking out was about accountability and encouraging other workers to advocate for themselves.
“This community cares about us, the workers here,” Taylor said. “And they need to know that you're not taking care of us.”
