Mount RSA manager Andrew Buenter said the club had been in the throes of planning its own refurbished dining area and putting in a new cafe and bar when it heard about the Foxhole Cafe concept being promoted by the national organisation.
The project rapidly grew legs until it finished up as a full public cafe and restaurant open breakfast, lunch and dinner.
"Coffee is the new beer," Mr Buenter said.
Foxhole cafes were a direct response to the demise of RSAs and although the Mount club was the largest in New Zealand with over 5000 members, the sight of other clubs folding or amalgamating made them nervous, he said.
Foxhole Cafe will have a separate access for the public, with an internal link to the club which members could access using their swipe cards. Its focus was on food, coffee and table service.
Royal New Zealand RSA chief executive David Moger said the hospitality sector was enjoying a boom and the RSA needed to show a modern and progressive approach to changes in the sector.
"The Foxhole concept is one of the key ways in which we are doing this. It represents a major step forward for us."