Due to the spread of COVID-19 and the resultant social distancing restrictions, many are having trouble adjusting to a summer without traditional activities. With restaurants still in the early stages of reopening and large-scale events shut down for the foreseeable future, it seems like most of our summer plans are canceled.
But two Chicago-based entrepreneurs have decided to use the coronavirus as an opportunity to make an old-time staple relevant again.
Percy Scott and Rita Lee are the creators of PR Pop-Ups, a mobile drive-in operation that provides a fun family outing option during the new normal.
“We came together to start PR Pop-Ups because of COVID-19. When it hit, we were looking for things to be out-of-the-box, different, and had to change the way we do business,” said Scott in an interview with Chicago Defender. “With our marketing company [Global 360 Marketing], people stopped doing concerts and having concerts because they could not get anymore due to COVID. We were talking, and Rita came up with the idea to do a drive-in.”
“We wanted to do PR Pop-Ups to give the communities of the south suburbs and people of our culture some normalcy during the time of panic,” Lee added. “When McHenry [drive-in] opened, we thought we would be the balancer in distance and an opportunity for the families to do some nostalgia and come together. Everybody is saying stay home, but we need each other to heal from all viruses.”
Currently, the drive-in operates in the Chicago suburbs with plans to spread across the area. “A lot of times, the south suburbs [of Chicago] are the first to get hit the hardest and the last to receive any help. We wanted to make sure that we did it here in the south suburbs first,” said Scott.
“We did our first drive-in pop-up in Harvey, on Mother’s Day weekend and SOLD OUT. We were right here in Harvey hosting another drive-in while all the looting and rioting was going on in Chicago and suburbs. Here, at PR Pop-ups in Harvey, we had no clue what was going on outside of our environment for that moment. It was like the United Nations here–everybody loving, laughing, enjoying a wonderful experience even amid apparent turmoil around us.”