Hideaway Pizza’s casual dining concept was created by Richard “The Big Kahuna” Dermer and his wife, Marti, in 1957 near the Oklahoma State University campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Dermer built his company on the premise that happy employees equals happy guests, a winning formula that over the years has built a highly devoted fan base that continues to grow.

Pizza was delivered on campus through the 1960s and 1970s via one of the largest fleets of Volkswagen Beetles in the U.S. Creatively painted by the employees, the VW bugs became an iconic symbol for the company along with vintage kites (Dermer was President of the American Kitefliers Association), collage art and the board game Pente.

In 1993, Dermer allowed a trio of trusted employees: Bob Busby, Brent McMurry and Gary Gabrel (Pente creator) to form a development company to expand the concept into new markets outside of Stillwater while the Dermer family retains ownership of the flagship location. The first Hideaway Pizza expansion restaurant opened in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Cherry Street District.

Hideaway Pizza had successfully grown its footprint to include six restaurants in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metro areas when Darren Lister and Brett Murphy purchased the company in Feb. 2006. Under their leadership, the company has grown into one of America’s favorite pizza companies, employing approximately 1,000 in two states.

Beginning in 2016 we have opened three locations in Arkansas.  The first in North Little Rock followed by Conway and Fort Smith.