Another Prominent Southington Restaurant Shuts Down

SOUTHINGTON, CT — The sad year that best describes the local restaurant scene continued Monday, with the announcement of yet another major Southington eatery shutting down.

Que Whiskey Kitchen, a barbecuse restaurant that also specialized in a variety of whiskeys and bourbons, is now shuttered, according to a top official with the company that owns the eatery.

The restaurant opened at 461 Queen St. in 2017, according to a statement issued Monday by Phil Barnett, the co-chief executive and co-founder of the Hartford Restaurant Group.

In addition to Que Whiskey Kitchen, the restaurant company owns and operates Wood-n-Tap restaurants in the state.

Barnett said the decision to close the barbecue place in Southington is happening as a way to "make the best use of staff and financial resources."

"We were very proud of Que," Barnett wrote of the Southington eatery, located in the Route 10 corridor. "But we are in the midst of expanding our Wood-n-Tap restaurants to surrounding states.

"We have decided the best use of our resources was to close Que and fine-tune our growth strategy."

Que employees affected by the closing are being offered jobs with Wood-n-Tap sites, Barnett said.

Wood-n-Tap recently expanded outside Connecticut to Springfield, Mass., and it currently has sites in Vernon, Enfield, Newington, Rocky Hill, Farmington, Hartford, Wallingford and Hamden.

There is also a Wood-n-Tap at 420 Queen St. in Southington.

Barnett said anyone with a gift card for Que will be able to redeem them at Wood-n-Tap sites.

"We certainly want to thank the town of Southington and our guests for supporting Que," Barnett said.

Que Whiskey Kitchen's Facebook page featured heart-felt post from the restaurant's staff, thanking customers as well as employees.

"Although we are sad to say goodbye, we will cherish the memories and the relationships that we have built during our time in business," wrote Que via Facebook.

Que Whiskey Kitchen is the third high-profile restaurant to shutter in Southington this year alone.

In February, Fireside on Main at 42 W. Main St. in Plantsville shuttered, as did the Zingarella Ristorante & Pizzeria at 83 W. Main St. a couple weeks prior to Fireside's closing.

Both of those restaurants touted post-Covid issues with staffing, inflation and a general decline in business becuse of those factors.

While Que's closure appears to differ slightly with the other two restaurant closings, the restaurant industry in general is still suffering from pandemic and post-pandemic impacts.

For the Que Whisky Kitchen's Facebook page, click on this link.

From Feb. 14: 'Another Southington Restaurant Set To Close'