Although it's supposed to be the day that we spend time (and money) on the one person we find special, Valentine's Day has pretty much become the day that everyone feels like garbage for not having anybody to spend time with on Valentine's Day.

Whether you spend time with your friends or curl up in front of a slew of cheesy rom-coms, there's plenty of lonelyhearts out there on Valentine's Day, but what about those who feel the venomous sting of rejection right there on the day?

Those are the people you feel the worst for, but one guy decided to harness that energy in an attempt to score some free food - and posted the entire caper on Twitter. Some found the exchange hilarious - but others are more critical, wondering if it abuses the kindness of strangers on what is usually an emotionally-charged day

This is Stephen Bonser, known as @baconflavoring on Twitter, who wanted to get himself a free steak by pretending to be stood up on Valentine's Day.

"If I went to Outback Steakhouse by myself tonight and asked for a table for 2, then got progressively sadder as the night went on alone, do you think they’d give me my steak for free?" he mused on Twitter, before deciding to test the sympathy and kindness of the staff at Outback Steakhouse on this most lonely of holidays.

Booking his table for two, Stephen proceeded to live tweet his entire 'date' at Outback Steakhouse, and it's quite something to behold. In order to keep the illusion as strong as possible, he orders a chardonnay he thinks his date will like, and even goes as far as to leave fake voicemails.

Donning a suit jacket and sitting expectantly, Stephen chowed down on a loaf of bread, and even got a fake present to really ramp up the sympathy. "when I parked, I took the jumper cables in my trunk out of the bag they came in and stuff some shoebox paper I had in the backseat into it to make it look like a bought a present," he explained in his live tweeting.

Eventually, Stephen is successful in his ploy, and offers to donate $50 to the ACLU as an act of kindness, but the live tweeter was slammed in some quarters for being manipulative, as well for giving waiters - already overworked on Valentine's Day - even more to contend with.

"Now I can see WHY you were alone on V-Day," said one such tweeter, accusing Stephen of playing on people's emotions. "Experiment? Nah. You mocked a stranger's kindness. Good Job," she said, while others said that experiencing that betrayal would go some way toward thinking twice about offering kindness next time.

"If it had been me who paid for his dinner (& it IS something I would do), I’d be heartbroken that someone took advantage of my feelings. And I’d never feel inclined to help anyone again," tweeted another upset user.

While the live tweets were entertaining at the time, in the context of so many people left alone and lonely on Valentine's Day, Stephen's actions do feel a little bit insensitive and manipulative.

Although it's supposed to be the day that we spend time (and money) on the one person we find special, Valentine's Day has pretty much become the day that everyone feels like garbage for not having anybody to spend time with on Valentine's Day.

Whether you spend time with your friends or curl up in front of a slew of cheesy rom-coms, there's plenty of lonelyhearts out there on Valentine's Day, but what about those who feel the venomous sting of rejection right there on the day?

Those are the people you feel the worst for, but one guy decided to harness that energy in an attempt to score some free food - and posted the entire caper on Twitter. Some found the exchange hilarious - but others are more critical, wondering if it abuses the kindness of strangers on what is usually an emotionally-charged day

This is Stephen Bonser, known as @baconflavoring on Twitter, who wanted to get himself a free steak by pretending to be stood up on Valentine's Day.

"If I went to Outback Steakhouse by myself tonight and asked for a table for 2, then got progressively sadder as the night went on alone, do you think they’d give me my steak for free?" he mused on Twitter, before deciding to test the sympathy and kindness of the staff at Outback Steakhouse on this most lonely of holidays.

Booking his table for two, Stephen proceeded to live tweet his entire 'date' at Outback Steakhouse, and it's quite something to behold. In order to keep the illusion as strong as possible, he orders a chardonnay he thinks his date will like, and even goes as far as to leave fake voicemails.

Donning a suit jacket and sitting expectantly, Stephen chowed down on a loaf of bread, and even got a fake present to really ramp up the sympathy. "when I parked, I took the jumper cables in my trunk out of the bag they came in and stuff some shoebox paper I had in the backseat into it to make it look like a bought a present," he explained in his live tweeting.

Eventually, Stephen is successful in his ploy, and offers to donate $50 to the ACLU as an act of kindness, but the live tweeter was slammed in some quarters for being manipulative, as well for giving waiters - already overworked on Valentine's Day - even more to contend with.

"Now I can see WHY you were alone on V-Day," said one such tweeter, accusing Stephen of playing on people's emotions. "Experiment? Nah. You mocked a stranger's kindness. Good Job," she said, while others said that experiencing that betrayal would go some way toward thinking twice about offering kindness next time.

"If it had been me who paid for his dinner (& it IS something I would do), I’d be heartbroken that someone took advantage of my feelings. And I’d never feel inclined to help anyone again," tweeted another upset user.

While the live tweets were entertaining at the time, in the context of so many people left alone and lonely on Valentine's Day, Stephen's actions do feel a little bit insensitive and manipulative.