It's been almost three years since we wrote about California-based Ghetto Gourmet, and the "wandering supper club" still seems to be going strong. Now, across the continent, a similar concept has been launched in the form of Charlie's Burgers, an underground "anti-restaurant" in Toronto that hand-picks its guests and has nothing to do with burgers.

Prospective diners who want to experience a Charlie's Burgers dinner must first apply for an invitation, a process that involves filling out a survey about their interest in food. If they're lucky, they'll then be sent an e-vite to the next Charlie's Burgers event. Neither the identity of "Charlie" nor the location of the event is disclosed, however; rather, on the evening of the dinner, invited guests are directed to a public spot—such as a newspaper box—to pick up directions, TheStar.com reported. The five-course meals are priced at CDN 110 including cocktails, wines, dinner and dessert, and the menus are reportedly a far cry from what the name would suggest. "Duck in a Can"—a signature dish brought in from Montreal's Au Pied de Cochon—is commonly featured, according to reports; also included in a dinner earlier this spring were an elaborate cheese tray, Malbec poached Bosc pear, and almond and walnut ice cream, according to a Chowhound blogger who attended. While only 30 or so guests are served at each four-hour event, applications can number as high as 250, another article in The Star reported.

Charlie's profit margins could be slim, many attendees seem to feel, given the quality of the food and the generosity of the portions. Also adding to the value of the events, of course, are the feeling of exclusivity—sure to generate status stories galore—the uniqueness of the experience and the off-the-beaten-path culinary possibilities. Yet with zero to little overhead required and virtually limitless creative opportunities, an underground restaurant could become an increasingly attractive option for chefs wanting to start their own business. One to emulate in a top-secret location near you...? ;-)

Website: www.charliesburgers.ca

Spotted by: Stas Zlobinski

Services that send print mail from an online application are no longer entirely new. What's interesting about Enthusem is that the printed greeting cards it sends can include online attachments.

Using Enthusem, which was launched last year by Florida-based Prospect Smarter, any company or individual can create and mail a printed, full-colour card using their own images, content and electronic attachments. Users begin by uploading their own artwork or choosing from Enthusem's library of images. Next they enter the message they'd like printed on the card. Then they can elect to include an online attachment such as a video, brochure or resume, and it will be hosted on the Enthusem site at no charge; a 5-digit code then gets printed inside the card along with a brief explanation giving the recipient the URL of the landing page where it can be found. Once finished, Enthusem cards get inserted in a transparent vellum envelope—allowing the recipient to see what's inside even before they've opened it—and sent out via First Class mail. When the recipient views the attachment, an email notification is instantly sent to the sender, alerting them that it has been successfully picked up. There are no monthly or subscription fees on Enthusem, and the first card a user sends is free. After that, each individual card costs about USD 3, with bulk pricing discounts and corporate accounts available.

Electronic and printed mail both have distinct advantages for both personal and business use, but Enthusem seems to go a long way toward combining the best of both worlds. Though the service currently sends mail only within the United States, international capabilities are coming soon; one to help bring to your part of the world? (Related: More free (and enhanced) snail mail options — Snail mail sent directly from any app to any country — A paperless alternative to the postal system.)

Website: www.enthusem.com
Contact: support@enthusem.com

Spotted by: Rick Rochon

Out of South Africa comes Great Guide: a GPS-triggered audio tour that hooks up to car radios. The system was designed for visitors to South Africa, and provides informative and entertaining sightseeing commentary for ZAR 99 per day. Customers order the service on the company's website, picking it up along with their hire car at the airport. Driving past points of interest, the system automatically broadcasts interesting stories and facts, ranging from historic and geographic info to current affairs and pop culture trivia.

Information turns to recommendations thanks to the Great Advice feature, which offers shopping and dining tips, while the My Itinerary option lets tourists input their travel plans online before they take off. Between points of commentary users can choose from a selection of music. Great Guide can be accessed mainly in the Western Cape and Mpumalanga regions, with conventional GPS functionality on offer in the rest of the country. The service is currently available in English only, with French following soon and everything from Arabic to Zulu is said to be on the cards.

Similar services are popping up in other parts of the world, too. With its potential to infiltrate every niche, and the opportunities it presents savvy marketers and content providers, it’s a concept we’re following with interest. More on maps becoming the new interface? Check out trendwatching.com’s notes about mapmania. (Related: Ad-supported navigation — Sightseeing guided by GPS.)

Website: www.greatguide.co.za
Contact: info@greatguide.co.za

Spotted by: Bridget McNulty

Combining try-before-you-buy with the luxury rental concept established by companies like Bag Borrow Steal and écurie25 is Guitar Affair, a service that rents out high-end and boutique guitars by the day or week.

Guitar Affair refers to its rentals as ‘affairs’ to reflect the emotional experience that customers have with instruments. Customers pay a one-off USD 50 fee to join and then select and reserve a guitar to be shipped anywhere within the United States. After they’ve had their affair for the agreed time span, they return the guitar in its shipping container with an included UPS label. For those fond enough to commit to a lasting relationship, guitars can be purchased with some (or all) of the affair fee refunded.

All of the guitars are memorable, with a cutaway XOX Handle carbon fibre guitar available for USD 75 a day or USD 300 a week, and a Sandoval Dot V costing USD 125 per day or 400 per week. In addition to guitars, customers can also rent a variety of headphones, amps, cables, straps, instructional items, backing tracks and road cases. The concept is perfect for a studio getaway, travelling musicians with fickle tastes or players who simply wish to experiment. And because the guitars are shipped back to the company, they're always maintained and set-up to professional standards—which can cost a pretty penny on its own.

Our sister-site trendwatching.com published a briefing about transumers back in 2006, focusing on consumers who are more interested in experiences than in ownership. It’s an enduring trend, and one that has extra power in today’s economy. Time to experiment with transient offerings of your own?

Website: www.guitaraffair.com
Contact: www.guitaraffair.com/contactus.php

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

Traditional search engines like Google excel at finding objective information in the vast network of pages on the web, but what about when you want a local restaurant recommendation? Going far beyond general reviews or even those of twinsumers with similar tastes is a new search site that aims to get more personally relevant by asking your own extended network of friends.

Users of Aardvark begin by adding the service to their email or IM buddy list, and then sending it a question in plain English via either medium. Aardvark then checks the user's social network of participating friends and friends-of-friends to see who might be able to answer it. Friends must have signed up with Aardvark to be considered, and they can control whose questions come to them, and when. Factors taken into account by the algorithm that chooses respondents include how closely connected they are to the person with the question, what topics they know about—gleaned from profile data on Facebook and around the web—whether they have similar tastes, where they're located and whether they're currently available to answer. After zeroing in on a small subset of the user's social network, Aardvark finds someone who can answer the question in real time and, within 5 minutes or so, sends their answer back to the person who asked.

"If someone's looking for a recommendation on 'great music' or a 'hotel room in London', not even 20 percent of people are going to be satisfied with a search result" from a traditional search engine, ex-Googler Max Ventilla, now Aardvark's CEO, told BusinessWeek. Rather than objective listings or the opinions of anonymous strangers on the web—which is mostly what one gets from Google—or the highly curated yet heavily numerical answers that are generated by Wolfram|Alpha, Aardvark aims to provide advice that's subjective and customised to the person who asked the question.

San Francisco-based Aardvark requires no software download or installation; there are currently more than 10,000 users testing out a private version of the site, according to BusinessWeek. Its revenue model includes referral fees paid by companies—including Amazon and Zappos so far—when answers include a link to their sites, BW reported.

Will social search provide the new way to get answers to everyday questions? It seems likely, but only time will tell. In the meantime, one to watch, partner with—or generally get in on as soon as possible! ;-)

Website: www.vark.com
Contact: info@aardvarkteam.com

Spotted by: Diricia De Wet