We’ve all seen that Chik-fil-A AR-15, but whatchu know about the Chik-fil-A plate carrier? Not a Chil-fil-A-themed plate, but the one we’ve seen their employees wearing on these hot summer days. These things look far from tactical and are a high visibility yellow. They are worn by employees who are standing outside and taking orders and seem quite odd.
The only chicken place that seems to need plate carriers is Pop Eyes after the great chicken sandwich debacle of 2019. Let’s face it. No one is getting riled up and fighting at Chil-fil-A for some unseasoned, dry chicken. Yet, their employees are rocking plate carriers, so what’s the story?
The Chik-fil-A Plate Carrier – The Truth Behind the Plates
These aren’t plate carriers, well, not in the traditional sense. They do carry plates, but those plates aren’t designed to stop bullets. Those plates are designed to cool down the employees wearing them. A company called Qore Performance produces both the carrier and the ‘plates,’ and it’s a company I’m fairly familiar with.
Way back at my first SHOT Show, I met with the guys from Qore. At the time, it was a fairly small company, and they hosted a micro event at their hotel room outside of SHOT. They showed off the earliest versions of the Iceplate. The Iceplate is the plate sitting inside the Chik-Fil-A plate carriers.
These Iceplates are filled with 50 ounces of water, then placed in the freezer overnight. It’s a fairly simple idea that relies on the sun being more dangerous than bullets. Obviously, some missions dictate one danger over the other, and the Chik-fil-A employee working outside in the summer height ain’t breaching a room.
These frozen plates keep employees cool and keep them from passing out. The carrier is also produced by Qore and is a simple high-visibility setup designed to support the Iceplates. These things aren’t designed for real plates or protection but for these exact situations. It’s a simple idea that works. As a guy in Florida, I’m thinking about grabbing one of these plates to keep things cool at the day job.
The Qore Iceplate
The Iceplate itself costs 45 bucks for a single plate, and you can rig up a system with two plates or a single plate. It’s shaped and sized like a medium ESAPI plate. The plates are 9.5 inches wide, 12.5 inches tall, and only 1 inch thick. They are curved for comfort and would drop in nearly any other plate carrier.
The 50 ounces of water can be frozen, but a user could also add hot water to keep their body warmer. While these plates are popular with Chik-fil-A employees in Texas, Florida, etc., when winter arrives, employees in the Dakotas, Michigan, and similar frozen hell holes can get some use out of them.
The Iceplates can be rigged with a tube and mouthpiece so you can sip at them and drink a little water throughout the day as well.
Beyond Chik-fil-A and Iceplates
Qore makes several products that encourage cooling. I haven’t followed Qore for some time, and that’s a mistake as a Floridian. They make a number of accessories for the Iceplates, including a Camelback-like rig for those who want a sportier look.
They also make a number of pads for holsters, gear belts, and plate carriers to improve comfort and create greater ventilation. Let me tell ya. Your boy is about to be cooling down this summer. The ideas seem sound and are simple additions to most of your basic gear to improve gear and comfort.
It’s Qore’s pleasure to keep me cool.
