Hi, I’m Riley Epperson, founder of Keep ’Em Coming Back.
Why I created this
I created this project because I believe Texas honky-tonks and dancehalls are worth protecting.
My background is in public relations, hospitality, kitchens, and bars. I built this project from years of paying attention to the music, food, dance floors, bartenders, musicians, cooks, regulars, and old rooms that hold Texas honky-tonk and dancehall culture together.
These rooms are more than businesses
They are living pieces of Texas history. They are where communities gather, musicians find their audiences, dancers learn their first steps, friendships begin, and traditions pass from one generation to the next.
Every person working inside the room helps shape whether that tradition survives.
Culture cannot survive on nostalgia alone
Honky-tonks and dancehalls must operate successfully. They must train their people well, serve their communities, adapt to change, and remain financially strong without losing what makes them special.
The people doing that work deserve practical knowledge, professional training, and resources created for the world they actually work in.
Knowledge for the whole room
This site brings together free books, training academies, tools, recipes, operational systems, cultural resources, and hard-earned knowledge for venue owners, managers, bartenders, cooks, musicians, dancers, teachers, and everyone helping keep the room alive.
My goal is not to polish Texas honky-tonk culture until it becomes unrecognizable. My goal is to help the people within it become stronger, more skilled, more sustainable, and better prepared to carry it forward.
What we need to do
We need to preserve these places. We need to support the people who keep them running. We need to respect the traditions while giving the next generation the tools to succeed.
Keep ’Em Coming Back is my contribution to that effort.
Thank you for being here—and thank you for helping keep Texas honky-tonk and dancehall culture alive.