BROKEN BOW – The Broken Bow Chamber of Commerce welcomed a new member on Wednesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Secret Garden at the Secret Oasis formally known as McDonalds at 123 East South E Street in Broken Bow.
The addition brings healthy food and beverage options to Broken Bow while expanding a business that has grown from a small greenhouse operation into a multi-location enterprise over the past 23 years.
“It actually just started as a growing plants with a greenhouse, then we added crafts and then we added the drinks,” Owner Kelli Safranek said.
The Secret Garden has operated a food trailer throughout central Nebraska and at the Nebraska State Fair. Kelli said the opportunity to open another location in Broken Bow came after Art and Craig Safranek purchased the former McDonald’s building and converted it into the Oasis.
“When Art and Craig purchased the old McDonald’s here, we decided they’re going to make it a spa. Let’s bring some healthier food options to Broken Bow,” Kelli Safranek said. “So that’s why we added a new Secret Garden location here at the Oasis.”
The Secret Oasis location is open Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 6:30pm and Saturday’s from 8:30am until 2:00pm. Customers can place orders by calling or texting (308) 643 – 7173.
The menu features a variety of healthy meal options, including wraps and gluten free selections. Kelli said all lunch items are priced at $6.00. Breakfast options are also available including scones, yogurt cups, and Quiche.
“For lunch, we have Oasis wraps that are every day that are gluten-free,” she said. “And then on Tuesdays and Thursdays are lettuce tacos, another gluten free option that we do.”
The business also offers a rotating drink special, featuring a different 16 ounce beverage each day for $5.00. Along with every day drinks after 5:00pm is $5.00.
Behind the building, visitors can enjoy the Secret Garden dining area, including a drive-thru option and a back patio where customers can relax with food and beverages.
Secret Oasis
In addition to offering food and drinks through the Secret Garden, the Secret Oasis continues to expand wellness services. One of the newest additions is a tonal room, which Kelli said could eventually be converted into an additional IV therapy room due to growing demand and positive customer feedback.
The business is also preparing to add a salt sauna, which is expected to arrive soon.
Guests can currently book appointments for tanning beds, a red light therapy bed and esthetician services through the providers’ websites. Secret Oasis has also installed new manicure and pedicure stations and is seeking nail technicians interested in renting the space. The flexible arrangement allows providers to rent by the day rather than committing to a full-time schedule.
The area that once housed food preparation operations has been transformed into a yoga and Pilates studio. The room is equipped for bungee fitness classes, but Secret Oasis is currently looking for an instructor before those classes can begin.
Additional improvements are also underway. The building is scheduled to be painted before the Fourth of July, and new signage will be installed in the near future.
Secret Garden
The Broken Bow location is one of three Secret Garden operations currently serving customers. In addition to the Oasis location, the business operates a food trailer that appears at community events, county fairs and the Nebraska State Fair. The original Secret Garden location, west of Merna, includes a greenhouse, craft store and online retail operation and is open Friday’s and Saturday’s year round.
Kelli credited family members and longtime employees for helping make the expansion possible.
“My true business partner, my husband, and our daughter and her husband,” she said. “They make things possible for us.”
Reflecting on the business’s growth, Kelli said she never imagined the Secret Garden would become what it is today.
“I was a school teacher and a volleyball coach,” she said. “The Secret Garden started in the basement of our house, growing plants and selling crafts….Don’t think you’re going to have everything right when you start. You can just grow into it.”
Over the years, that growth has included additional greenhouses, a traveling food traveling food trailer, participation in the Nebraska State Fair and now a permanent location in Broken Bow.
Asked about future expansions, Kelly laughed and said she may have reached her limit.
“I think I’ve met my max, though,” she said. “Right now I’m operating on a lot of prayers, a lot of notes, and good workers that help me through this.”
