Norths Leagues and Services Club in Kallangur, Queensland has capped off its decade-long modernisation project with the unveiling of The Avenue.
The Avenue is made up of two areas: the club’s new cafe, which opened at the end of last year, and the club’s new entrance, which is due to be completed at the end of the month.
“There has not been one part of the club that has not been touched,” Norths Leagues marketing manager James Bennett told Club Management. “That formed part of our strategic plan 10 years ago to upgrade all the facilities for our members, and so The Avenue was the final piece of that puzzle.”
According to the club’s general manager Troy Young, the opportunity to revamp the cafe was underpinned by the success of the club’s flagship restaurant, The Precinct, which opened three years ago and was awarded the Keno and Clubs Queensland Award for Best Dining in 2022 and 2023.
“We’ve had such success in our catering operation through The Precinct and we’ve had to look at opportunities to see how we could expand because we simply can’t fit anymore for The Precinct restaurant, so there was an opportunity there to boost revenue sources and increase our capacity through the cafe, The Avenue,” he said.
Young added the club’s former entrance was “looking a bit tired”, and it was the only remaining part of the club that has been untouched since renovations began 10 years ago.
“There was direction from the architects to really get a sense of arrival when you come to the club. There’s a lot of wow factor when you approach the entrance of the club. We wanted to capture the experience where there’s something special as soon as you approach that entrance,” he said.
Norths Leagues worked with Cayas Architects to develop the new look. The Avenue cafe is now twice the size of the former cafe thanks to a new alfresco dining area. There are also curve accents throughout and plenty of greenery. A new menu has been introduced as well to match the new fitout.
“Apart from the original cafe location, everything has changed,” Bennett said.
Along with the cafe, the entrance sees members and guests greeted with double airlock doors, greenery, wood panelling, a 13-metre-long LED screen and LED lights that frame the entire driveway.
“If you think of it as a five-star hotel reception entrance that you get in the CBD, it is 100 per cent comparable to that grandeur,” Bennett says.