A V8 supercar driver, an intensive care nurse, a commercial builder, and a chef walk into a restaurant.
The owner tells them he'll probably have to shut his doors over the next couple of days due to staffing issues because of COVID.
It sounds like the beginning of a joke, but for one restaurant in Airlie Beach it led to the experience of a lifetime.
Fish D'vine owner Kevin Collins was down to one floor-staff member, two bar staff, and three chefs when a group of young holiday-makers offered to help.
Mr Collins said the events that unfolded next were "bloody remarkable".
"I was serving some younger guests some of our famous mojitos, bemoaning the fact I'd probably have to close, and they said we'll come work for you," he said.
The following day Mr Collins called the eclectic group of mates from Brisbane and Melbourne to see if they were serious.
Sure enough, the group of four pulled a five-hour shift that night to serve 180 dinner guests.
Dinner ... and a show
“It became a bit like a theatre restaurant," Mr Collins said.
But to everyone's surprise, and perhaps disappointment, there were no accidents to report.
"I'd give any one of them a job tomorrow; they were bloody crackers," Mr Collins said.
"It was just a reinforcement that we're in the attitude business."
Mr Collins said the restaurant took the most tips of any night ever.
"It was one of those moments in time that you'll probably never have again," he said.
Rach Cla (the ICU nurse), Matt McLean (the V8 supercar driver), and Mikel Cameron (the commercial builder from Melbourne) said they were enjoying a day at the beach when they got the call-up.
Coincidentally, they were also hanging out with a friend who works as a head chef on Hayman Island.
"We just didn't want to see the place close; we knew they were under a bit of stress, and you could see he [Kevin] was quite disappointed," Mr McLean said.
Mr McLean said they had noticed Airlie Beach had been particularly hard-hit with small business closures and it had been difficult for the group to find places to eat.
Ms Cla said these were exceptionally challenging times and everyone was just trying to do the best with what they had.
"We didn't realise that Kev was telling all of the patrons who we were and what we were doing so by the end of the night everyone was coming up and saying goodbye to us," Ms Cla said.
"We met some people out that we served, and they bought us a round of drinks and wanted to have dinner with us."
The random staff movement
Mr Collins recounted the experience on Facebook, along with photos of what he termed his "random staff movement". The post has since gone viral.
"I've had a dozen people who have offered to come in and work for nothing because of what happened and even [had] a mum get in contact and say her 15-year-old son wants to come and wash dishes," he said.
The initial group of "random staff" were humbled by the response they received.
"I don't think it's hard to help out … I'm sure there are plenty of people who have done things like this," Mr McLean said.
Mikel Cameron agreed that working, even while on holidays was worth every minute — especially for the seafood feast they received at the end.
"It was a really cool thing to do and a wild experience and a hell of a story," he said.
It's not all doom and gloom and this small act of kindness has travelled far and warmed the hearts of many in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Collins said words could not describe how much the act meant to him.
