Paradise Cafe Brings Big City Living to Western Nebraska

If he was being as honest as the songwriter’s craft so often requires, then all Jimmy Buffett needed to achieve total bliss was a cheeseburger in paradise. However, patrons of Scottsbluff’s Paradise Cafe may consider the famed musician somewhat shortsighted in that regard.

Sporting a selection of tanning beds, Internet-ready computers, a martini bar offering some 51 cocktails, an all-natural fruit smoothie lounge and a deli stocked with homemade soups, sandwiches and salads, Paradise Cafe has all the amenities its name suggests. It even boasts a scenic waterfall, a majestic fire pit and an environmentally friendly car/dog wash.

“It brings a taste of the city life to Scottsbluff,” said Tori Brozek, who opened Paradise Cafe with her husband Wayne. “People walk in here and the first thing they say is, ‘Wow! This doesn’t look like something that’d be in this town.’ We’re bringing a state-of-the-art place to Scottsbluff. It’s unique, very unique.”

The splendor the cafe has since achieved belies its humble roots. After transforming a refurbished Burger King into a supply company called Marketing Consultants, the Brozeks grew that startup for about a decade, adding elements piecemeal to the amalgamation that would become Paradise Cafe. Tori and Wayne’s original business is still housed within the cafe’s walls.

“The reception’s been great,” Tori said. “It’s a business that people who have to do more than one thing at a time love. They can have lunch and have their car washed at the same time.”

Paradise Car Wash

Since it opened last year, the Cafe’s created nearly 40 jobs for the city. Tori credits the Nebraska Business Development Center for helping her and her husband traverse the long path to paradise. She said the center aided them every step of the way, from tweaking their business plan to securing funding for their car wash’s $25,000 reclaim system, one of the cafe’s biggest draws. By reusing the water consumed by the car wash (which already utilizes biodegradable soaps), the Paradise Cafe keeps its impact on the environment to a minimum.

One the cafe’s newest, and certainly most interesting, draws is its self-service dog wash. Modeled after those found in big cities, it offers canine-lovers a convenient place to bathe the family pet.

“In the cities, that’s the new thing,” she said. “They’re putting dog washes for big dogs in with the car wash, because you can’t get them groomed at kennels or different places due to their size. So, we converted a Ford pickup bed into our dog wash. You open the tailgate and those dogs load up because they think they’re going somewhere, and then they get to take a bath in 98 degree water, so they’re happy. Plus, it’s in an all-glass building, so they’re the center of attention and they love that.”

However, the Brozeks don’t intend to rest on their laurels. Although there aren’t any concrete plans for expansion in the works, Tori said the cafe will continue evolving as new ideas filter in from bigger cities.

“At this point, further expansion depends on how crazy I think I need to be,” she said. “We’ve got new ideas we’re bringing in all the time. We’re going to bring in a big outdoor bar.”

“It’s just another day in paradise,” she added.

Find out more about Paradise in Scottsbluff on their Facebook Page.



Location: 611 W 27th St Scottsbluff, NE, 69361
Phone: 308-635-9274
Mon – Thurs: 6:00 am – 9:00 pm
Fri – Sat: 6:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sun: 8:00 am – 7:00 pm

NebraskaEntrepreneur.com Profile: Nebraska Business Development Center