It started, as occult conspiracy theories do, with a question: "Wtf is Outback Steakhouse planning?"

The musing, posted by Twitter user @eatmyesthetics, came with maps of major U.S. cities all showing one thing: The Outback Steakhouse locations in those metro areas could connect to form pentagrams, the five-sided stars sometimes tied to occultism.

Could the purveyor of the Bloomin' Onion be a front for a Satanic cult? Virtually no one actually thought this. Still, more than 100,000 users republished the maps, igniting unserious investigation into the worlds of the occult and casual dining.

Soon, another user selectively cropped discovered a map of a Bloomin' Pentagram over Philadelphia.

Similar discoveries took place in California's Bay Area.

One user found not a pentagram, but a kindly tortoise.

Another revealed, most disturbingly, an ad for Emoji Movie.

Was this Outback's effort to space restaurants efficiently across metro areas, or a something more sinister?

“No plans,” the company told the Daily Dot. “other than to bring bold steaks and Bloomin’ Onions to our guests!”

The steakhouse instead suggested its Florida locations formed the shape of a giant fried onion, adding that "If the Bloomin' Onion is evil then we don't want to be nice."

But the Twitter user who made up unearthed the faux conspiracy remained unconvinced: "I'm glad I helped uncover outbacks occultist agenda (because) now I will soon be applying there."

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