LA ice cream company starts charging ‘influencers’ DOUBLE’

An ice cream man in Los Angeles has gone viral after vowing to charge influencers double.

Joe Nicchi, the owner of CVT Soft Serve, claims to have received weekly requests from social media stars asking for free ice cream in return for posting a photo on Instagram.

Nicchi, who operates two trucks in LA, says he has always said no.

But recently he became so fed up of dealing with the requests that he introduced a new policy of charging them twice as much as regular customers. 

After posting a photo on Instagram showing him holding a sign saying ‘influencers pay double’ Nicchi went viral.  

‘We’re the anti-influencer influencers,’ he told the Guardian. ‘It’s weird but I think it’s really fun.

‘I hope it inspires small businesses to hold their own and tell people to f**k off.’ 

‘This is a money-making thing. I can’t give away my ice-cream for free,’ he said, 

Nicchi says his business is now booming, thanks to support from ice cream fans from across California who share his hatred for social media personalities. 

The entrepreneur said as his business has grown he has been subjected to ever more ‘crazy’ requests.

CVT Soft Serve operated two trucks in the Los Angeles area, both of which now use Nicchi’s influencer policy

‘Last week we got a request to do a party for 300 people for free in exchange for ‘exposure’, which is the word they love to use,’ he told the BBC.

‘I said, ‘this is crazy’ and that’s when I made the sign.’ 

His ice creams usually sell for $4 a pop, but his new rates mean influencers will have to shell out $8 or more. 

Nicchi says he has not yet used the higher rates but that he plans on enforcing the rules. 

‘We just posted the sign so no enforcement yet. Just some dirty looks from hipsters,’ Nicchi said.  

Nicchi displays a sign in his trucks saying ‘infuencers pay double’ and sells them ice creams for a minimum of $8