The tide may be turning for social media influencers — at least as far as soft-serve ice cream is concerned. CVT Soft Serve, a Los Angeles-based ice cream shop that in 2014 threw a “Bill Murray Ice Cream Social” that actually got Bill Murray to show up, posted a jab at the darlings of social media in its window. The sign proclaimed that all food influencers would now be charged double price for their ice cream, a stunt that promptly found itself making the rounds on social and even landed on Reddit’s front page.
Photo: cvtsoftserve/Instagram
LA Ice Cream Truck Posts ‘Influencers Pay Double’ Sign, Goes Full Viral
Nicchi had noticed an increase in asks from influencers in recent years. “At first I was confused,” Nicchi told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s like, ‘Hey, what’s up. So, I don’t know if you follow me but I have 100,000 followers. Could you hook me up with an ice cream? I’ll post about you in my story.’”
“It’s literally a $4 item,” Nicchi wrote on the shop’s Instagram channel. “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,” the post said. “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.”
CVT Soft Serve serves ice cream out of a vintage 1960s Mister Softee truck, which it has operated since 2014. Only three flavors are served — chocolate, vanilla, and a twist of the two. In a nice bout of irony, pro wrestler John Cena posted a photo of Nicchi holding the sign, prompting it to go viral in a nod to his own influencer status. 
H/T: Los Angeles Times