Great things are percolating at Planet Perk Coffee Houses

Lori Kaye Lodes

Contributor

April 3, 2024

OSHKOSH — Whether it’s a white mocha caramel latte, a breakfast panini or lunch on the go — Planet Perk Coffee Houses has it covered.

In addition to its various food and beverage items, Planet Perk — located in downtown Oshkosh’s City Center — is also home to the Planet Purrrk cat cafe.

Something different
Though Planet Perk dates back to 1996, current owner/operator Ken Osmond purchased the cafe in 2008.

Osmond said his vision was to run a business that was environmentally conscious, socially responsible, acting for the betterment of the community and successful — while also offering a great cup of coffee.

“I was a marketing consultant as well as a data scientist, and I saw opportunities in business to do things that were better for the community,” he said. “I decided our business model would focus on the simple thought of doing the right thing every time you can.”

As a data scientist — a job he did remotely — Osmond said he knew what it was like to be a coffee shop customer.

After dropping his kids off at school, he said he often swung by a coffee shop to grab a caffeinated beverage before starting his work day.

“(Coffee) was the demarcation line,” he said.

When the opportunity to purchase Planet Perk arose, Osmond — who admitted remote work grew lonely — said he decided to add entrepreneur to his list of titles.

Before he knew it, Osmond said he was a small business owner.

He moved his data scientist work into the cafe’s stockroom and juggled both roles for the next 15 years.

Updates
A lot has happened since then, Osmond said — including cosmetic updates to the cafe’s space.

He said he also incorporated local produce, Fair and Direct coffee and teas, eco-friendly packaging and established many environmentally-friendly practices and procedures.

Osmond said he sought produce from local growers and farmers’ markets — committing that at least 50% of everything purchased or sold comes from within 50 miles of the cafe, with the other 50% coming from within 500 miles.

In October 2015, Osmond expanded and remodeled the cafe and began offering delivery.

In 2017, he opened a second location on Algoma Boulevard in the Beach building — however, that location didn’t weather the COVID-19 pandemic well.

“It was fortuitous it didn’t survive as the building was going to change hands in a year, and (our closure) gave Thunderbird Bakery a chance to do a short-term popup there,” he said.

However, Planet Perk’s growth didn’t stop there.

In 2019, Osmond said he set up a kiosk presence in the Oshkosh Arena, offering up some of its favorites during key events and activities, including Saturday Farmers Markets, Wisconsin Herd games, Wisconsin Glo games, roller derby, concerts and more.

The idea, he said, stemmed from a conversation with the arena’s management team that regularly stopped into Planet Perk.

“That relationship started because the Herd management team would have breakfast at the shop in the a.m.,” he said. “Occasionally, the arena management team would come in as well, and I asked them, ‘What are you doing to support local business?’ And they said, ‘Not enough.’ So, I asked them to give me a kiosk inside the concourse. Now, they’re the only team in the (NBA) G League with an espresso bar.”

Nowadays, there’s a loyal following who come into Planet Perk on the regular for its top sellers, including the white mocha caramel latte, breakfast panini, Tuscan chicken sandwich and shrimp and corn bisque.

A light-bulb moment
Osmond said Planet Perk has weathered some adversity over the years — even contemplating closing last May.

“Since COVID, there were two new Dunkin Donuts, a Scooter’s Coffee, two new Starbucks and then Caribou announced they were coming to town, and I wondered how we’d be able to compete,” he said.

However, recognizing the space behind the cafe hadn’t been used in 20 years, Osmond said he saw an opportunity.

“I figured, if I’m going to go down, I will go down swinging,” he said.

Osmond said he sifted through old business ideas for a coffee house with a bookstore, flower shop or resale shop until he came upon the idea of a cat cafe.

At the same time, he said he heard the local humane society was overflowing with cats.

Though connected to Planet Perk, Osmond said the cat cafe is a completely separate space with its own entrance, air handling system and restrooms.

The multipurpose, 3,000-square-foot space — known as the Planet Purrrk Club — he said, features up to 15 adoptable cats from the Oshkosh Humane Society.

The first-of-its-kind collaboration between Planet Perk and the Oshkosh Humane Society, Osmond said, allows guests to mingle with the furry residents in a home-like environment.

“We’ve averaged a cat adoption every three days since we opened July 27 — a total of 74 cats,” he said. “You get to see them be cats (in the space) and that’s why they get adopted quicker. People visiting helps teach the cats to be social and loving.”

Planet Purrrk’s coworking space, Osmond said, features five private offices named after “famous cats,” such as Garfield, Sylvester and Tom; two meeting rooms; a mixture of leather furniture and collapsible tables and chairs on wheels for easy moving offered with memberships and daily rates.

As ideas came together, Osmond said he toured other cat cafe spaces to get an idea of what worked and what didn’t.

He said his No. 1 goal, other than getting the cats adopted, was to ensure the space didn’t smell like cats — which means continuous disinfecting and mopping the space twice a day and wiping down surfaces every two hours.

“My idea was to build this safe and comfy space for cats and people,” he said. “I thought it would be a cool environment. I was trying to think outside the box on expanding the idea of community from the cafe into this space.”

The cat cafe space, Osmond said, means more opportunities to welcome even more into the Plant Perk community.

He said a variety of groups — including retirement and assisted living residents, LBGTQ support groups, yoga classes, book clubs and table-top gamers — rent the space throughout the week for events and meet-ups.

“It’s all about building a sense of community throughout the shop,” he said. “We’ve met so many cool people by partnering with local groups.”

In addition, Osmond said local nonprofits can host meetings in the space for free.

Community first
Planet Perk, Osmond said, is the furthest thing from a simple cafe.

Though its coffee, teas and other menu offerings can stand on their own, Osmond said he sought to create a sense of community within its four walls as well.

Being located downtown, he said, gives the cafe sightlines into what’s happening around them, whether it’s the local homeless population, lonely college students or seniors or a variety of support groups or clubs seeking a home.

To help, Osmond said Planet Perks offers Pay It Forward boards, on which the cafe features notes with prepaid food and drink on them.

He said guests in need are encouraged to take what they need to obtain food and drink.

In addition, Osmond said he doesn’t lock the restrooms in the cafe.

Instead, he and the team stockpile them with free diapers, as well as free seasonal clothing — scarves, hats, boots and mittens in the winter; and T-shirts and clean underwear and tube socks year-round.

“We’re intentional about having the items in the bathroom so people can take things without asking,” he said. “They can change their clothes without being on display.”

Treating all guests with respect and dignity, Osmond said, is a must, and a physical reminder to that end hangs on a sign in the kitchen that says: “Make someone smile today. It may be the most important thing you do.”

“As my dad always used to say, ‘leave a space better than you found it-,'” he said. “One of the greatest evils on the planet is lonelinessÖ That’s why we hire for kindness. That’s part of our philosophy of doing the right thing all the time.”

Osmond said he is a big believer in hiring for character, including kindness, as he can train employees how to make coffee or paninis.

“But I can’t train people to be kind,” he said.

The cafe also features a bookshelf filled with a variety of books free for the taking.

Osmond said the Oshkosh Public Library contributes some of its castoff books to the mix.

“It’s a read-and-return situation but if people don’t return them, we encourage them to pass them along,” he said. “We try to keep at least 100 books on the shelves at any given time, so when we run low, we buy more.”

For more information on Planet Perk Coffee Houses and the Planet Purrrk cat cafe, visit planetperkcoffeehouses.com or check out the cafe’s Facebook page.