BOONE, Iowa -- The Boone Pizza Ranch named their chicken salad after Rick Santorum on Monday after the staff asked him to try their signature dish and he said he liked it.

"A lot of people ask about the economy and the threat of Iran and about military aid and maybe about social issues, whether it be abortion rights or something else. I don't care about those things, I care about what you think about my damn salad," said Keith Prange, assistant manager and the maker of the salad.

"He tells everybody about his salads," another employee chimed in.

Prange said he is a Democrat, but just wanted to ask if Santorum liked the salad, which is made from scratch here from a recipe he invented. He told Santorum that if he liked it, they would name the salad after the former Pennsylvania senator.

"Candidates get endorsed all the time, you know, the Register endorses Romney, but if he endorses our salad it's kind of a switch-up," Prange said.

Pizza Ranch is a staple of Iowa campaigning: All of the candidates who call themselves Christian in the race have visited one of the chain's restaurants at some point during the campaign. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told the Wall Street Journal that her favorite dish is the chicken.

A Pizza Ranch staff member said they are unsure how long the salad will keep its name if Santorum loses the nomination.