The Tampa-based Outback Steakhouse is known as a restaurant that attempts to add some of that cheeky Australian “shrimp on the barbie” charm to strip malls around the country. As its website puts it:
We are an Australian-inspired steakhouse restaurant beloved worldwide… We’re the leader of the pack by emphasizing consistently high quality delicious food delivering a warm, welcoming environment. Our generous portions are moderately priced. Our casual atmosphere couldn’t be more transporting – it’s like you’re right there in the Australian Outback.
The Outback menu is highlighted by giant entrees and artery-clogging “Aussie-tizers” like its famous “Blooming Onion.” Various limited edition “loaded” versions of the Onion, like with steak bites or cheese fries, may be enough to convince some people that Outback has various misdeeds in mind, especially for those who are trying to watch their diets. But other Outback followers may be pointing to a much wider conspiracy.
Twitter user @eatmyaesthetics went through and mapped various Outback Steakhouse locations, and found that several of them formed the same unsettling pattern: A pentagram.
This inspired other Outback observers to map further restuarant locations, like in “Sin-cinnati”:
Jezebel’s Lauren Evans is all in on this sinister theory, stating, “Now that I know the truth, it’s impossible to see it any other way: You don’t just get a 10-ounce steak for $12 without at least a little help from the devil.”
To its credit, Outback is apparently having a bit of fun with the Twitter conspiracists, adding a shape much more familiar to Outback fans.
The company also emphatically states:
which shows some nice brand loyalty but may not be the most compelling argument for Outback’s benevolent side.
[Note: Jezebel, like The A.V. Club, is owned by Univision Communications.]