Sunday, December 22, 2024

Gold Coast influencer gets kicked out of café for impromptu photoshoot

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Social media star Karina Irby was kicked out of a Gold Coast café this week after she rocked up to host an impromptu swimwear photoshoot.

The body positive influencer, 34, shared a video of her and her friends arriving at Palm Springs Café in Burleigh Heads without a booking and began filming an ad for her activewear line.

Irby explained she thought the venue would have no issue with the shoot because she had purchased a cake and coffee from them.

‘I thought I could order a bunch of yummy food and drinks, eat and have the girls representing Moana Smile Club at this local café,’ she began.

Unfortunately for Irby, café staff were not at all thrilled and immediately told her and her friends to leave.

Social media star Karina Irby was kicked out of a Gold Coast café this week after she rocked up to host an impromptu swimwear photoshoot. Pictured

‘We were asked not to shoot there and got kicked out of the café,’ a furious Karina told her fans.

Fortunately, Irby and her friends were able to complete the photoshoot after a local homeowner offered to let them film at their house.

However, Palm Springs Cafe owners Cohen and Josh had a different version of events and told Daily Mail Australia that Karina was not ‘asked to leave’ but rather asked to book the shoot at an acceptable time.

The body positive influencer, 34, shared a video of her and her friends arriving at Palm Springs Café in Burleigh Heads without a booking and began filming an ad for her activewear line
Irby explained she thought the venue would have no issue with the shoot because she had purchased a cake and coffee from them

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‘We don’t allow professional photoshoots during business hours out of respect for our guests. However, we hire our space out for professional shoots, it is a service we offer,’ Cohen said.

‘All that was said is that if you have a professional photographer you need to allow a time to book a shoot in. We don’t allow professional photography during business hours out of respect for our other guests.

They continued: ‘Not everyone wants to be in the background of a photoshoot. There was no malice behind it. You don’t go to the Carlisle and book a hotel room and film a commercial.

‘Someone of her stature should have known that as she has a successful company. She told us she reached out to us and tried to book it in, but we are on top of our emails and socials and that never happened.’

Unfortunately for Irby, café staff were not at all thrilled and immediately told her and her friends to leave
The body positive influencer, 34, shared a video of her and her friends arriving at Palm Springs Café in Burleigh Heads

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Irby for comment. 

Irby later told fans that despite the ‘rocky start’ with the café, the rest of the photoshoot went well. 

Karina is best known for her body positivity posts and the empire she has built around selling cheeky bikinis.

In 2011, Irby founded her swimwear label Moana Bikini, which has gone on to become a household name for women across Australia.

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