The organisation behind the proposed Bayside Pavilion has more than doubled the workforce at its Carina home in just 18 months, as an expansion that was meant to accommodate growth finds itself being overtaken by it. CEO Adam Wiencke says Carina Leagues Club now employs around 280 people and expects that number could eventually reach 350 to 380.
The growth extends well beyond staffing. Dining capacity has increased from about 800 to 1,300 and is heading towards 1,600 to 1,700, while five kitchens have already been added to handle demand.
“We’ve grown so quickly that what we’ve put in place just isn’t sustainable for where we’re heading,” Wiencke said.
It offers a revealing look at the organisation proposing the $25 million-plus Bayside Pavilion on the Wynnum waterfront, where the development application is currently progressing through public notification.
Families and Food Changed the Equation
Wiencke attributes much of Carina’s growth to a deliberate effort to reach people who might not traditionally have considered a leagues club somewhere for them.
“We’ve deliberately worked on engaging younger people and families,” he said.
That has meant investing in family facilities while making food a much bigger part of the attraction. The club’s Playland is one element of the strategy, but the dining numbers show how significant the shift has become: Wiencke said a $25 Monday steak night can attract more than 400 diners, while a busy Sunday service can bring 500 to 600 people through.
There are elements of the same thinking behind Bayside Pavilion, which has been proposed as a dining and entertainment destination rather than simply another conventional club premises.
It would, however, be operating in a very different environment. Carina’s existing club has developed over decades alongside the sporting community surrounding the Clem Jones Sporting Precinct. Bayside Pavilion would have to establish its own relationship with the bayside community.
The Expansion That Wasn’t Enough
Perhaps the clearest indication of the pace of change at Carina is that a major redevelopment completed only in 2024 has already been followed by another substantial construction project.
The earlier work delivered a new restaurant, bar, gaming areas and the Wade Core Function Centre and went on to win the 2025 Clubs Queensland award for Best Club Redevelopment – Large Club. Stage 2 is now under construction, with project manager KVR Project Partners putting its value at $21 million.
For Wiencke, the need for more capacity is evident in the daily operation. Hundreds of dining places and five kitchens have already been added, yet the club is again working out how to accommodate what comes next.
That experience also gives some perspective on the scale at which Carina is approaching its move beyond its home suburb. KVR, which is managing both projects, currently values Bayside Pavilion at more than $25 million.
A Workforce Growing With the Club
Wiencke believes community clubs can increasingly provide some of the first-job opportunities traditionally associated with major retailers and fast-food businesses.
Young people and university students from surrounding suburbs are among those employed at Carina, while the organisation has been trying to build a more permanent workforce as its operations become larger.
That represents a considerable change from an earlier period. Fair Work Commission records show that Carina employed about 127 people when evidence was given in 2016, including 104 casual employees.
Carina has also worked with Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability Queensland’s Employment Connections Program, providing another pathway into hospitality employment.
Jobs have also featured in the case for Bayside Pavilion, with earlier plans projecting that the development could create more than 100 positions.
That remains a project estimate rather than an eventual employment outcome, particularly as the development has changed during assessment. Carina’s experience at its existing venue nevertheless shows how quickly staffing requirements can rise when a hospitality operation expands.
The Sporting Roots Behind the Business
The other side of Carina’s growth story sits immediately outside the club.
Its new terrace overlooks the Easts Carina Tigers rugby league field within the Clem Jones Sporting Precinct. Wiencke said Carina financially supports 24 sporting clubs, with more than $500,000 a year going to football, while the club says it has contributed more than $35 million to its local community since opening in 1971.
Wiencke sees those relationships as part of the business model rather than something separate from it. Families participate in sport around the precinct and build a connection with the club; the hospitality operation generates employment and revenue that can, in turn, be reinvested into community organisations.
Carina’s relationship with the Brisbane Broncos illustrates how longstanding some of those connections are. The partnership began in 2004 and was extended this year through to the end of 2029, while Michael De Vere has led Carina’s specialised coaching program since 2006.
The broader significance is that Carina’s expansion has occurred within a community network built over many years. That is something a new Bayside Pavilion could not simply bring with it.
Taking the Formula Beyond Carina
The development proposed for the Wynnum waterfront has evolved considerably during assessment, including changes from the original concept, and its future remains subject to the planning process.
Wiencke’s account of what has happened at Carina does not tell us what Bayside Pavilion would ultimately become. It does, however, provide a clearer picture of the organisation behind it.
Carina has deliberately broadened its audience, invested heavily in food and family facilities, dramatically expanded its workforce and found itself returning to construction soon after completing a major redevelopment. Alongside that commercial growth are sporting and community relationships that have taken decades to establish.
Taking parts of that formula to a new waterfront venue would therefore involve more than reproducing a successful hospitality offering. The community surrounding it would be different, as would the history and relationships on which the existing Carina operation has been built.
The rapid growth at Carina shows what the organisation behind Bayside Pavilion has become. The next chapter will test what happens when it takes that experience beyond home.
Published 21-Sept-2026