A "Taco Bell Hastings" page, now believed to be a fake, was created on Sunday and included post with job offers and special opening deals. Photo / Supplied
A Facebook page going viral that suggests that Taco Bell is coming to Hastings is an April Fool's prank gone wrong.
A thousand locals immediately liked a "Taco Bell Hastings" page when it popped up on Facebook on Sunday.
Taco Bell is a chain of fast food restaurants featuring Mexican inspired food like tacos and quesadillas.
The page included advertisements for jobs at the "new store" which appeared set to open on Karamu Rd N in Hastings.
This included a post captioned, "Fattest skid outside Macca's wins a taco".
The creator, who wished to remain anonymous, told Hawke's Bay Today they had created the page ahead of April Fool's as a joke.
"Unfortunately, it got found out a few days earlier than I wanted it to."
They were shocked by how quickly it gained traction, the first post gaining 500 likes within an hour and 1000 by the end of the day.
"The posts were reaching just under 30,000 people each so I was just shocked really and at the reach the page had."
A big fan of Taco Bell, they also wanted to draw the company's attention to the region and show them how popular it could be.
The creator of the page asked that everyone take it in "good humour" but said they understood it wasn't funny to everyone.
They reiterated the page was not a scam and said it would be deleted on Monday.
Currently the only Taco Bell locations are in Auckland and Taupiri, in the Waikato, with job listings for positions in Auckland and Christchurch currently advertised.