It all started in a duck blind...
2015
Prior to the opening of Embassy Suites in downtown Tuscaloosa in 2015, one of its developers, Kem Wilson, was inspired and intrigued with a name for its new restaurant while duck hunting.
A side-by-side shotgun has its two barrels attached side-by-side and is frequently used in duck hunting. Just as heirloom side-by-side shotguns and duck hunting are passed from generation to generation, so has the tradition of investing and managing hotels been passed down from generation to generation of the Wilson family. The Wilson family continues to be actively engaged in developing and managing hotels all over the world.
2019
In 2019, the management and control of Side by Side was assumed by the local management of Embassy Suites, giving them more control over the menu and level of service offered to the restaurant's patrons.
2020
The onset of COVID-19 in 2020 offered Side by Side the unique opportunity to rebrand the restaurant from The Side by Side Restaurant to Side by Side Kitchen & Cocktails, more accurately reflecting the aims of the restaurant's new management.