Becky Samaniego spent two decades working in health care before moving into restaurant ownership. In September 2024, she and her husband, Robert, opened The Brass Tap, a 50-plus-unit American tavern franchise, in Lubbock, Texas. Nearly two years later, Becky says the experience has challenged her in ways she did not expect and introduced her to an entirely new career.
“I spent the last 20 years working in the hospital,” Becky said. “My husband has always wanted to own a bar, and he actually found The Brass Tap after visiting one of the locations. He went during a Halloween bingo event and just loved the atmosphere. I was looking to get out of the hospital after COVID, and we thought this would be a good journey for us to start together. He believed it would do well here in Lubbock, and so far, he’s been right.”
Robert brought years of business experience as a FedEx contractor, but neither he nor Becky had worked in restaurant operations before opening their Brass Tap location. Becky likes to joke that her restaurant résumé consisted of waiting tables in high school. With no industry background to lean on, they relied heavily on the franchise system during those first few months…