Dermer speaks to Golden K Kiwanis

Woody Harris

May 09, 2008 11:16 am

— Max Craighead introduced Richard Dermer, who owns the “Hideaway Pizza” store in Stillwater, to Golden K Kiwanis members.
He began his food service career at the “Student Union Coffee Shop” on the Oklahoma State University campus then on to the restaurant on Lake Carl Blackwell. The “Hideaway” was the first pizza store in Stillwater and was created by a firm from Kansas. He worked as a delivery guy for the firm in 1957; he was senior in high school at the time.
The 20-year old purchased the “Hideaway” on Third street with its 12 tables and 48 seats in 1960. He started using Volkswagen “Beetles” for pizza delivery in 1965 and let the drivers paint their “Beetle.” Delivery pizza was 50 percent of sales at that time.
In 1980, he lost his lease on the Third Street location and moved to the “Campus Drug Store” near the corner of Knoblock and University. In 1980, next door on the corner was the “Campus” theater which had been a restaurant; it closed and sat vacant for some time and had deteriorated and went up for auction.
Dermer bought the theater to protect the parking and the future development next to the “Hideaway.” The local model railroad club used the theater for its meetings and the construction of a model railroad layout until Dermer remodeled the theater expansion of the Hideaway.
The “Hideaway” has grown to five locations in Oklahoma City, four in Tulsa and one Norman. Dermer said he owed his success to an above average employment pool, OSU students. He has a number of second generation Hideaway employees and he is looking for the first third generation employee in the future.
In July of 2007, the Hideaway celebrated its 50th anniversary of serving pizza in Stillwater.
Dermer invited Hideaway employees, present and past, to come to Lake Carl Blackwell for the occasion, There were people from throughout the U.S. and a person came from Switzerland.

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