The restaurant takes its name from a Thai fable called the "Golden Snail," about a prince who was born as a snail. Thais don't like snails and so the little prince and his mother, the queen, were exiled from their kingdom. They lived as outcasts until the day the queen realized that a perfectly formed little boy was hidden inside of the ugly shell. She carefully broke the shell away to reveal her beautiful child. From then on the two struggled together in search of a bright, new, healthy life. They wandered and met with many challenges, until eventually the boy became a great and benevolent king.