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A UK takeaway that gained a devoted following amongst food enthusiasts has been thrust into liquidation, with the customer-facing arm of the business quietly changing hands of late as the original founders behind the eatery stepped away.

Liverpool's Q's Kitchen was established at Stonedale Retail Park in November 2021, towards the tail end of lockdown.

Gemma Quine, together with her mother Gill and cousin Joseph, had been driving past the retail park when they spotted a vacant unit - and began discussing the potential of the site.

The rest, as they say, is history. They opened their doors and before long customers were bringing friends from far and wide to dine at the Q's Kitchen table.

Yet it appears all good things must come to an end, with the company behind the breakfast bar filing its winding-up resolutions with The Gazette, the UK's official public record since 1665.

Documents signed by business director Gemma Quine state: "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.

"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 documentation concludes by identifying the liquidator appointed to oversee the winding up process.

According to The Gazette, the sudden closure appears to fall under a Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation (CVL), an insolvency procedure whereby those behind an insolvent company elect to cease operations, appointing a liquidator to dispose of assets and settle any outstanding debts.

It is the most prevalent form of liquidation when a business is unable to fulfil its financial obligations.

However, social media accounts for the much-loved takeaway reveal that the customer-facing business, known as Q's Kitchen, will not be shutting its doors. Instead, it will carry on trading under new ownership.

Q's Kitchen will now be operated by the Trapasso-Emina family, according to the restaurant's Instagram account.

The unfortunate development for the small business comes after the eatery had been shortlisted for several foodie accolades.

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 fellow staff members made the journey to the awards ceremony last month with modest expectations, yet departed the evening clutching the award for best takeaway.

Shortly afterwards, staff discovered they had been entered into the Best Takeaway category at the Good Food Awards.

The business was presented with a gold seal of approval by the foodie organisation dedicated to celebrating excellence in dining - casual or otherwise. Q's Kitchen continues to operate at Stonedale Retail Park on East Lancashire Road in Liverpool.