Apply For The Snail of Approval Program
Calling all restaurants, bars, food and beverage establishments, local farms, breweries, coffee shops, food trucks, wineries, and other food producers that are pursuing and practicing Slow Food values in their business: The Arizona Snail of Approval is now open!
The Snail of Approval award is given by local chapters based on evaluations focused on the following six areas: sourcing, environmental impact, cultural connection, community involvement, staff support, and business values.
Businesses that are awarded a Snail of Approval are:
Recognized on the Slow Food Regional and Slow Food USA websites
Receive a Snail of Approval window sticker to display
Given shout-outs on Slow Food’s Regional social media channels
Given the opportunity to partner with your Slow Food Regional Chapter including exposure to Arizona residents who care about good, clean and fair food.
The Snail of Approval award is active for two years. Re-application is required for all businesses after the initial two years award period.
We encourage any Arizona food business or organization to apply that:
Produces and/or offers food
Is pursuing and practicing Slow Food values of good, clean, fair food for all
Has been open for at least one year to apply.
Awards will be given on a rolling basis. Slow Food staff and/ or board will conduct site visits of applicants. The application takes 30-45 minutes to complete.
For questions or to nominate a local purveyor please email your local chapter:
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The “Snail of Approval” is SLOW FOOD USA’s way of publicly honoring local and regional restaurants that share a commitment toward “good, clean, and fair food for all.” Through this program, we strive to create transparency for Arizona citizens around buzzwords like “local,” “sustainable,” and “farm-to-table” to honor restaurants and eateries that live up to these ideals.
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Any food business or organization that produces and/or offers food for public consumption and is pursuing and practicing Slow Food values of good, clean, fair food for all—restaurants, farms, ranches, fisheries, cafes, bars, food trucks, breweries, wineries, caterers, value-added food producers. Restaurants and/or related businesses in the State of Arizona that have been open for at least one year and meet the criteria outlined in the Snail of Approval application.
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To nominate a local purveyor please email you local chapter
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Applications are accepted and approved on a rolling basis.
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Let us count them!
• A Snail of Approval Award
• Dedicated space on our website and the Slow Food USA website that notes your commitment to Slow Food values
• Official Snail of Approval branded window cling and / or stickers for display in your restaurant
• Snail Spotlight promotion on you local regions Slow Food social media channels
• Opportunities to partner with your regional Slow Food Chapter
• Exposure to both Arizona and National residents who care about food in the same way you do
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While you are not directly supporting the organization, you are supporting causes we believe in. Slow Food Arizona receives no financial gain from promoting “Snail of Approval” restaurants and charges nothing for the application and award.
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We vet all restaurants to the best of our ability and ask that applications are answered honestly, but we cannot guarantee that all food at an approved restaurant meets 100 percent of our criteria.
The application is set on a cumulative point system, thoughtfully generated by the national team at Slow Food USA.
Whenever possible, we publish the exact qualifications each restaurant has met. In this way, we hope to promote transparency in the food community and encourage restaurants to take more measures to promote Slow Food values.
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All nominees will fill out the Eligibility Application- and all applicants who score a passing score of 56 or greater will be eligible
Slow Food USA routes your application to the respective Arizona Chapter. Current Chapters are Slow Food Southern Arizona, Slow Food Prescott and Slow Food Phoenix. Currently all non-represented regions in Arizona applications will be routed to Slow Food Phoenix. We strongly encourage anyone in Arizona to apply, not just regions with an active chapter.
If a passing score is not achieved, applicants can seek help from us who can assist in identifying ways to improve score
All applicants who pass will be contacted by the Slow Food Regional Chapter for any follow-up questions or site review requests.
Based on the Eligibility Application score, interview, and site visit– a panel will select awardees.
You will not be able to save your progress as you go. The application is completely multiple choice and usually takes 30-45 minutes to complete.
