• Los Angeles Times, Thursday, September 9, 2010 9:56 AM

Move over, roach coach, the age of gourmet food trucks jostlin' for space is upon us. Sharon Bernstein writes about the rise of trucks offering lunch with familiar restaurant names painted on the sides. Among them: Canter's Deli, Border Grill, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Sizzler U.S.A., Subway, Fatburger and Johnny Rockets.

Since 2008, when Kogi hit the streets of L.A., offering high-end combinations of Korean, Mexican and other ethnic foods, mobile kitchens have been nosing into line alongside vehicles run by streetwise-renegade chefs. They are offering food designed in corporate kitchens to compete with the wild and crazy offerings that have created buzz among foodies from coast to coast.

"Ten percent of the top 200 chains will have trucks on the road within the next 24 months," predicts Aaron Noveshen, a restaurant industry consultant who co-owns the Pacific Catch restaurants in San Francisco and the online food-truck portal Mobi Munch. "They're all talking about it."

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