New cafe for the RSA

Head barista Katie Hedgman-Dalton at Wanganui RSA's new cafe, The Fox Hole. PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY

Wanganui RSA's brand new cafe will be showcased at the organisation's open day this weekend.

The Fox Hole Cafe will open for business at 10.30am on Sunday, offering coffee and other hot drinks, cold drinks, sandwiches, slices and muffins.

RSA manager Kyle Dalton said the cafe came about after the organisation began looking at ways to diversify.

"We have quite a few younger members, and we have to keep up with the times. And the truth is that there's more money to be made in coffee than in beer," Mr Dalton said.

He said Fox Hole Cafe was an RSA brand, so these cafes will be popping in RSAs throughout the country. Whanganui is one of the first places to have one.

Although it's part of the RSA building, the Fox Hole Cafe is open to the public and can be accessed by a door opening directly off St Hill St.

"It's the only cafe on St Hill St so we're hoping our customers will be the businesses along St Hill St," Mr Dalton said.

The initial opening hours will be 8.30am-3pm, Monday to Friday, but he said these were open to change depending on how well the cafe does.

Mr Dalton said club members and non-members alike were welcome at the open day.

At 11.20am the presentation will be made to this year's two winners of the Eric and Zita Lawrence Trust scholarship, awarded to a Whanganui student in their first year of university.

Between 11.30am and 1.30pm a $5 buffet will be held, and at 1pm there will be live music. All day people can try out darts, 8-ball, indoor bowls, housie and Texas hold 'em poker.

"The open day is for everyone. We want people to come and have a look at what the RSA offers," Mr Dalton said.