The tables were set, food prepped — but Bareknuckle BBQ in Hawke's Bay was empty on Saturday night.
The entire restaurant had been reserved for a group of 60 people, but nobody showed up, leaving the restaurant facing a huge loss.
There was a technological error. The group cancelled earlier in the week, but it hadn't come through.
Then, the Hastings community came to the rescue.
"In my sadness, I videoed the building with it being empty and posted the video on our Facebook page," co-owner Vanessa West told Seven Sharp. "Put a post saying 'absolutely gutted... we've got lots of food here if anyone wants to come down'.
"And really quickly, we got lots of feedback on our post, and lots of shares, and then within minutes the phone was ringing."
West said people started to arrive shortly after.
"The response was amazing from our community," she said. "I believe it was a genuine mistake by this person, and we had to move forward, and we couldn't have moved forward without the community of Hawke's Bay."
West also pointed to other community initiatives in the region in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle.
"It's ongoing, and I think lots of people don't see that," she said.
"On Saturday night, it was a reflection of our community once again banding in and helping somebody."
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