CVT Soft Serve in Los Angeles has taken to their social media accounts to reveal their new policy – if you ask for a free cone, you will pay double.
The ice cream company shared a photo of their co-founder Joe Nicchi holding a sign saying, “Influencers pay double.”
They captioned the snap, “We’ve decided to make this thing official with signage. We truly don’t care if you’re an Influencer, or how many followers you have.
“We will never give you a free ice cream in exchange for a post on your social media page. It’s literally a $4 item…well now it’s $8 for you. #InfluencersAreGross.”
And we totally agree with them. If you can’t afford a $4 ice cream cone, then don’t get one. Plus, CVT seems to be doing well enough on their own without having an influencer sharing a photo of their soft serve.
Another post was captioned, “We couldn’t care less about how many followers you have, and we’re super embarrassed for you when you tell us.”
Speaking with Newsweek, Nicchi said he was getting sick of people trying to get free ice cream so thought he’d make the policy official.
“LA is full of so-called ‘influencers’ with large followings that are actually fake because they most likely paid for likes and follows. Anyone can have a following if they want to pay for it. Google ‘social media bots.’
“The 2019 version of ‘Do you know who I am?’ is ‘I’m an influencer,’ but without the talent.”
The only time CVT Soft Serve has ever given away free ice cream was when the truck went viral in 2014 after offering free soft serve to Bill Murray as part of a special event. Murray accepted with Nicchi sharing this photo of him meeting his “idol”.
He added, “We cater for some pretty big A-list talent in Hollywood, and I have no interest in giving them free product. I have a family and plenty of bills to pay! My kids’ school doesn’t take celebrity photos as a form of tuition payment.”
Fans of CVT shared their support for the post, one wrote, “I hope this becomes a trend!” Another added, “Joe Nicchi for President, 2020!”
Someone else even joked they’d be willing to send Nicchi $4 in support, “I can’t buy ice cream from you because I’m in Philadelphia, but can I Venmo you $4 as a show of solidarity? #ifullysupportthis.”
The ice cream truck isn’t the only company to ban influencers. The White Moose Cafe, a hotel in Dublin, banned all social media influencers after YouTuber Elle Darby shared a video on her channel about being refused a free five-night stay at the hotel.
We said it once, we’ll say it again – if you can’t afford it, you can’t expect to receive it for free simply because of how many followers you have. Especially if it seems pretty obvious they’re bought followers.
BUT, a lesson to learn from all of this, is that if you’re Bill Murray you might just be an exception to the rules.