Satanic rituals, pentagrams, and the overall hellish experience are usually left for Halloween or those late nights when you end up on the weird side of Youtube. So what does it have to do with our food? Quite a bit, actually. Outback Steakhouse got a lot of attention for their pentagram conspiracy in 2017, Monster Energy struggled with the branding issue of “666” in 2014, and Chipotle was supposedly sabotaged with an E.Coli outbreak in 2015.
My question is, are these stories fact or fiction? What are the origins of these conspiracy theories? And how true do we think they really are?
1. Outback Steakhouse's Eerie Pentagram
The genesis of Outback Steakhouse’s satanic conspiracy theory began in 2017, with a tweet from @eatmyaesthetics connecting the dots of multiple Outback locations in several parts of America that all led to the same eerie shape: a pentagram. This unsettling shape created a Twitter movement as people began to question what was going on with the restaurant chain. The theory got so out of hand that Outback Steakhouse made their own comedic response to it, tweeting a photo of their famous appetizer, Bloomin’ Onions, over a map and saying “If Bloomin’ Onions are evil, we don’t want to be nice.” Winky face included.
While this approach certainly elicited a smile, it wasn’t necessarily a total denial of their connection to Satan and/or the Illuminati. When I did some digging into the pentagram, I learned that most people associate it with the devil and that in modern times, the pentagram is most popular within the Wicca religion, a paganistic belief system that is believed to have originated in the pre-Christian era. Members tend to engage in witchcraft, initiation ceremonies, and other types of magic.
Diving deeper, I learned that there are 13 major families associated with The Illuminati. One family, the Collins family, actively has members that partake in the Wiccan religion, and it is said that many big players in the Illuminati have a hand in it as well, thus bringing us back to the pentagram shape of Outback Steakhouse's various locations.
Outback’s stock has wavered outstandingly in the last five years, going from peak highs down to record lows. Some of their lows were so harsh that in February of 2017 they announced they would be closing 43 locations. Then, in November, around the time that the pentagram scandal came to light, their stock began to climb. It was quite interesting timing, especially when we look at other restaurant chains, like Applebee's, that had to go through the process of closing locations in 2017 and 2018. While many restaurant chains are gradually closing their doors, Outback Steakhouse has seemingly brushed off the dust and continued marching on.
Now, who could possibly have the power to keep a restaurant chain afloat in times when business is bad for the whole industry? The Illuminati, of course. They’ve been pulling strings on the government and celebrities since the founding of America, so why wouldn’t they take a dive into the restaurant business too? Obviously, there aren’t any hard facts, but it certainly wouldn’t surprise me (as a vegetarian) if the places that crank out red meat are also the ones involved in the biggest conspiracy in the nation, if not the world.
Overall Truth Rating: 2 out of 5 Bloomin’ Onions
2. Monster Energy's Devilish Branding
2014 proved to be a satanic year for Monster Energy when a soccer mom was recorded ranting about all the allusions to Satan in the popular energy drink's branding. This video was uploaded to AstrosnacK's youtube channel and seems to get the majority, if not all, of the woman’s charted evidence of the company’s demonic association.
The explanation begins with the Hebrew letter for “Vav” which is also the symbol for the number six. When three of these symbols are placed side by side, the end result appears strikingly similar to that of the "M" on the can. The small space between each claw-marked line creates the idea of three separate symbols rather than one cohesive letter. Thus we have the Hebrew version of 666, AKA the devil’s number.
But wait—there’s more.
Not only is Satan’s lucky number displayed on the front of the can, but there's also an upside-down cross. Can’t find it? Simply take a look at the “O” in “Monster” on the can. There’s a line right through the middle of it, creating the image of a cross, and every time someone takes a nice, long sip of the drink, it appears upside-down—the classic antichrist symbol.
While the woman in the video goes on to discuss a few more devil-related evidence, these two ideas of “666” and the antichrist are arguably the two most important. In this case, the association to all things evil becomes quite obvious based on the explanation of the branding methods, but why would an energy drink company be cracking open a cold one with the devil?
Some theories claim that they might be motivated to beat out their number one competitor, Red Bull, but most of it probably stems from the negative stigma around energy drinks. There have reportedly been multiple deaths caused by the excessive caffeine in Monster Energy drinks, and even more lawsuits (as timely as 2017). Despite all this, their stock has been steadily growing since 2002. There have been drops in stock, but overall trends tend toward growth. After killing multiple people you would think that would be enough to send a company packing, but not Monster Energy. They’ve been sailing along through all their scandals and have somehow managed to come out on top, with stocks at an all-time high in January of 2018. Sounds like the devil’s work to me.
Overall Truth Rating: 555 out of 666
3. Chipotle's Sketchy E.Coli Break Out
While our first two companies appear to be a little too cozy with the underworld, it seems that Chipotle has kept its relative distance. And maybe that’s why they fell victim to a company-wide E. Coli breakout in 2015. At first glance, this looks like the usual recall accident that happens every now and then, but upon further investigation, many have alluded to an extra serving of sabotage.
In 2015, the CDC reported that the virus E. Coli began sprouting in Washington and Oregon. It was quickly linked back to Chipotle Mexican Grill. There were a total of 55 cases in the initial breakout in late October, and five more in December. Each time, it was a rare strain of the E. Coli virus, and pretty much impossible to trace back to any one food item considering how many different ingredients we pack into our burritos. So where does corporate sabotage com all this?
The answer lies in Chipotle’s anti-GMO rhetoric. They are one of the only food companies that actively denounce the use of GMOs, and considering how we now breed chickens the size of pigs and pigs the size of small horses, that puts a damper on the food industry’s biggest powerhouses. And since pretty much everyone loves Chipotle, their voice matters in the grand scheme of political influence. Which would, according to an article from RealFarmacy, make the GMO Industry pretty upset. Upset enough to launch a bioterror attack? Maybe.
Remember how we said this E. Coli strain was super rare? So rare, in fact, that it’s normally not found in food, which was a big tip-off that this isn't your everyday E. Coli break out. Not only that, some from the GMO Industry apparently attacked Dr. Oz (also mentioned in the RealFarmacy article) after he advocated for open and honest food labels. Sure, Dr. Oz is more known for the problem children on his show rather than his medical experience, but I don’t think he deserves a slander campaign for wanting food labels to contain honest information.
As an avid Chipotle fan, this conspiracy theory is upsetting and the E.Coli outbreak is practically an act of terrorism if it really came from the hands of GMO players. Thankfully, Chipotle’s E.Coli scare didn’t put an official end to their company. If anybody wants to take down Chipotle, maybe they should consider striking a deal with the Illuminati next time.
Overall Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 Burrito bowls