A UK takeaway that achieved cult status among foodies has been plunged into liquidation, with the customer-facing side of the business quietly changing hands recently as with the original creators behind the eaterie tapping out.
Liverpool’s Q’s Kitchen was launched in Stonedale Retail Park in November 2021, at the tail end of lockdown.
Gemma Quine, along with her mum Gill and cousin Joseph, had been driving past the retail park and spotted an empty unit – and got talking about all the possibilities for the site.
The rest, as they say, is history. They opened up shop and soon customers were bringing their mates from all over to eat at the Q’s Kitchen table.
But it seems all good things must come to an end, with the business behind the breakfast bar posting its resolutions for winding-up paperwork to the The Gazette, the UK’s official public record since 1665.
Forms signed by business director Gemma Quine reads: “At a general meeting of [Q’s Kitchen] … on 6 May, 2026, the following resolutions were duly passed as a special resolution and as an ordinary resolution respectively.
View 2 ImagesSalt, pepper and vinegar on a dining table(Image: Getty)
“That it has proved to the satisfaction of this meeting that the Company cannot, by reason of its liabilities, continue its business and that it is advisable to wind up the same and, accordingly, that the Company be wound up voluntarily.”
The paperwork ends by detailing the liquidator appointed to manage the winding up. As per The Gazette, the shock closure appears to fall under a Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation (CVL) , which is an insolvency process where those behind an insolvent company choose to wind up operations, appointing a liquidator to sell assets and pay off any debts.
It is the most common liquidation type when a business cannot meet its financial obligations.
However, social media accounts for the fan-favourite takeaway reveal that the customer-facing business which is known as Q’s Kitchen will not close down. Instead, it will continue operating under new management.
Q’s Kitchen will now be run by the Trapasso-Emina family, according to the restaurant’s Instagram account.
The sad update for the small business comes after the eatery was nominated for a number of foodie awards.
Gemma said: “We were nominated for best takeaway and best small business at the Liverpool Lifestyle Awards. The best takeaway category was quite tough. We didn’t think we had a chance.”
Gemma and other staff travelled down to the awards ceremony last month more in hope than expectation, but ended the evening with the award for best takeaway.
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Soon after, staff discovered they had been entered into the Best Takeaway category in the Good Food Awards too. The business was awarded a gold seal of approval by the foodie group that aims to celebrate excellence in dining – casual or otherwise.
Q’s Kitchen remains at Stonedale Retail Park on East Lancashire Road in Liverpool.