A cafe owner has brought a whole new meaning to the words exceptional service after he rescued an elderly customer who had fallen at home and broken her hips.

Mark Montagnani, owner of Sweet Lovers cafe in Moorabbin, has served lunch to 87-year-old Iris Thomsen every Friday for the past nine years.

So when she failed to show one afternoon, Mark had a feeling something was wrong and began making calls.

"When we didn't see her by 1pm, I started to worry," he told Seven News.

"I rang the hairdresser, knowing she has a regular hairdressing appointment every Friday and she hadn't been, and hadn't called to cancel.

"I got a gut feeling that something was wrong."

Mark and a beautician, who works across the road, went to check on Ms Thomsen.

They found her collapsed on the kitchen floor and unable to move.

She had tripped over an electric blanket cord, broken both her hips and had been lying helpless for around two hours.

"She had dragged herself trying to get to the phone," Mark explained.

Ms Thomsen, who is now home after almost a month in hospital and rehabilitation, said the pair are heroes.

Tell us your own experiences of remarkable community spirit

But Mark is a humble hero, insisting he would do the same for all of his customers.

"You get to know a lot of the regular customers and you grow to care for them," he said.

"We become part of their lives and they become part of ours. There's a real community spirit here."