Local Look: Q Emporium

By Gray Walden & Hope Hensley

Q Coffee Emporium is a coffee and pastry cafe here in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It has a large menu that ranges from noteworthy drinks, artisan breads, specialty pizzas, and cakes! “Q” is a family-run business that started on August 26, 2019. They have two locations, one on 5851 Scottsville Road, across from Pelican's SnoBalls, and a new location on 560 Waterbury Court, right off of Nashville Road. 

The Waterbury location opened on November 15, 2023, and is located in a brand new building. The building is gorgeous on the inside and out. It has two stories and it has modern architecture. It is the perfect atmosphere to study and sip on some coffee. In addition to the moody interior design, the building was spotless. Workers were cleaning any messes or spills made in the cafe to make it as clean as possible for the customers.

Hope got a large slice of the Pepperoni Roman Pizza which is sold for $8.00. She paired it with a lemonade and a sugar cookie sold for $3.55. Hope says, “The pizza was fresh and delicious. My food came out fast and tasted incredible!” The pizza at Q is homemade and square, which makes it stand out from other pizza places in Bowling Green.

Gray ordered the “Qmmuter,” which is a breakfast croissant with egg, bacon, and cheese which is sold for $8.00. He paired it with a sweet tea and an oatmeal raisin cookie sold for $3.55. Gray says “The breakfast croissant was soft and crispy! The employee was so sweet when I received my food.” In Gray’s opinion, Q has the best croissants in Bowling Green!

Q Coffee Emporium also does a variety of events rather than just serving coffee. For example, they host trivia and game nights almost weekly. It is an opportunity for the community, or “Qmmunity”, to come out and enjoy a night at Q while playing games with other citizens and enjoy some coffee and pastries. They also do themed foods and drinks for special occasions. For example, when Taylor Swift released her new version of her album titled 1989, Q made Swift-inspired drinks and bagels for the community to enjoy to celebrate the new release of music. Many “Swifties” in Bowling Green went to Q when they heard about the special menu, resulting in booming business!

Q is a very well established coffee shop here in BG. When Q employees were asked what their favorite part of working at Q is, they responded with, “I love the encouraging family and calm environment that comes along with working at Q.” 

The workers at Q were incredibly kind and all had a smile on their faces. Overall, we rated Q Coffee Emporium at Waterbury a 10/10 and would recommend Q to any of the students at Bowling Green High when looking for a place to study, catch up with friends, and eat some great food!