For the first time, Melbourne's CBD will open its doors to a fleet of food trucks.

But the food truck operators face an uphill battle to win a permit, with only the cream of the crop set to survive a brutal culling process.

In what surely sets the scene for Australia's latest foodie reality television show, more than 500 food truck operators have already applied for one of just 17 permits.

So how will the lucky operators be chosen? Will there be a taste off? Can the public vote?

Will MasterChef's Gary Mehigan be rolled in to cull the mediocre from the masterful?

Possibly not.

Vendors will be chosen by a panel of five Melbourne City Council staff (at this stage, we know little about their burger-tasting credentials).

However Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle said there would be set criteria to decide on the winners.

"We want it to be healthy food, we want it to be fresh, we want them to be sustainable businesses," he said.

Food trucks with great presentation and a strong media following will also be given priority.

"We appreciate good food in Australia's culinary capital which is why we will be only accepting 17 of the best food trucks we can identify," Cr Doyle said.

The culling process is set to take a number of months, with food truck sites to open by March next year.

They will be located in front for the National Gallery of Victoria (near where current trucks operate), on Peel Street at the Queen Victoria Market and at three fairly-desolate sites on Flinders Street near the Yarra River.

Five of the food trucks will be permanent, while the other 12 will rotate monthly.

Rent will range between $200- and $1700-a-month depending on the location and Cr Doyle said he was confident the trucks would not affect the profits of established restaurants and cafes.

"We feel like it's a complementary offer and we certainly aren't in the business of driving other businesses out," he said.

Previously, the council has trialled food trucks around the municipality, including Michael Ibrahim's Soul Kitchen espresso bar and wood-fired pizza outlet near the Arts Centre on St Kilda Road.

While Mr Ibrahim is now facing fierce competition for his parking spot, he said when he first started his business 13-years ago there were very few boutique food van operators in Melbourne.

"In 2003, if I said I had a food truck they would have thought it was an ice-cream van or hot dog van," he said.

"I think the quality that we are putting out of the food truck is equal if not better than restaurants."