Hippie Pizza: Give Pizza a Chance

It’s 10 p.m. and you have the munchies. Should you order the Cheech and Chong pizza with chicken, steak, jalapeños and taco sauce or the magic mushroom with Alfredo sauce, portabella mushrooms, white mushrooms and onions? At Hippies Pizza in Royal Oak, the owner will bring both to your door with a side order of fire wood and a six pack of Pepsi. 

“We make most of our money on late night deliveries,” said owner Christopher Culbartson. “Our team brings your pizza, pop, and anything you want from the party store – kind of like a concierge service.”

Culbartson bought Pizzallica, a turn-key, defunct pizza take out business for $15,000 last spring from the Clawson-based Black Lotus Brewing Company. Every menu item had a musical theme.  Because he is a second generation hippie who went to Woodstock in 1999, he developed a sinfully delicious and alternately vegan-friendly, gluten-free options, heavy on the veggies menu with names that often echo the Age of Aquarius, including the Yellow Submarine, Woodstock and Zeus pizzas. 

“My co-worker and I were skeptical in ordering from hippies because of all the "far out" pizza ideas. The Gyro pizza actually tastes like a gyro! It was fantastic! Definitely will recommend to friends in the area,” posted Carly Weintraub on DinerReview.com in July.

Reviews on consumer websites span the gamut of “great” to “makes mistakes,” which Culbartson chalks up to growing a business in a tough economy. He has seven employees and stays open seven days a week, until 3 a.m. on weekends. He strives for variety. 

“At first we worried people might question the hippie lifestyle as dirty or lazy. Our research of friends and local demographics found many people in Royal Oak are all about peace, love and cooperation,” Culbartson said. He welcomes many taste buds under the same sun. 

“We have 40 different toppings, we have eight cheeses -- including daiya vegan cheese - and nine different sauces,” he added, while stirring up some tasty Alfredo.  “We even make a peanut butter and jelly pizza for kids and fried Twinkies for dessert.” 

Differentiating himself isn’t easy in a town with at least 15 offerings, including Two Guys from Italy, Green Lantern Pizza, Pasquale’s, Pizza Rustica, Benito’s Pizza, Pizzeria Biga, Primo’s Pizza and more.

Culbartson is a veteran pizza-maker at many of the local chains including Cottage Inn, Primo’s, Hungry Howie’s. He knew how to identify the best cheese, pepperoni and seasonings, but he needed more to make his mark. With the fluorescent 7-Eleven sign shining in his window he had an answer – become the pizza concierge.

As word got out, his team found themselves bringing Slurpees, toothpaste, diapers and chewing gum to families unwilling to go out in the cold, or tipsy couples who came home from the bar, still felt hungry or thirsty and didn’t chance driving. In the near future he hopes to jockey movies from Blockbuster and get a concierge license to buy and deliver alcohol.

“Late nights are crazy in this town. Nothing is open. People have a lot of needs, from condoms to baby food. We double our orders in the last three hours we are open because people need us,” Culbartson said.

Need a pizza, dude?

• Where: Hippies Pizza, 121 E. 13 Mile Rd.
• Phone: 248-733-1111
• Website: www.hippiespizza.com