Email Campaign Keeps Tulsa Hideaway From Closing

Rick Wells, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Sometimes businesses do listen to their customers. Hideaway Pizza is building a new restaurant and planned to close an existing one a few miles away.

Not so fast, said the customers. They started an email and letter writing campaign.

The Hideaway Pizza at 81st and Harvard is no longer going to close. 

"About 90 percent of my time was spent talking about that," said Robby Wagner, the location's general manager.

Last month Hideaway announced they were opening a new location in the Tulsa Hills Center a few miles west of here and so the Harvard store would close. 

"It doesn't make logical sense to me," said Paul Soper, who lives in a nearby neighborhood. 

"A very diverse demographic mix here," Soper said of the 81st and Harvard area. If it sounds like he knows a bit about it, he did sight survey for restaurant chains in the Dallas area when he lived there.

"I thought they could do well in both places," he said. "I believe they will."

He joined the email campaign and even went to Hideaways Tulsa headquarters to make his pitch in person.

Folks in the area just love their neighborhood Hideaway. They love the pizza, of course, and the fun atmosphere. Or maybe it's the singin' slingin' general manager. 

Whatever it is about the little neighborhood pizza joint, when the neighbors heard it might close, they went into action, and they won. 

"People are very happy about it," general manager Robby Wagner said. "Hear it every day all day long."

Of course, customers will have to continue to come in to complete the bargain, but at least for now: that old saying "the customer is always right" is true.