India is home to an estimated 4 to 5 million food street vendors, making them one of the largest segments of urban nano-entrepreneurship. In fact, estimates suggest that 6 – 8 million people in Bangalore regularly consume street food, and 1.4 – 2 million depend on it as a daily source of sustenance. Yet most operate with limited infrastructure, low visibility, and little access to structured support, which directly limits how much they can serve and earn.
In Bengaluru, this initiative, driven by Udhyam Vyapaar, the livelihood arm of Udhyam Learning Foundation, a nonprofit organisation committed to making India entrepreneurial, takes a different approach. Instead of one-time training, it focuses on sustained, one-on-one mentoring. Field officers work closely with vendors free-of-cost to solve real business challenges across operations, menu, hygiene, and digital presence.
Take the case of Renuka Devi, who runs a food stall near Konanakunte Cross. food vendor in the city. During peak hours, long queues would build up, but limited cooking capacity meant slower service and missed demand. Through the programme, her setup was upgraded from a double burner to a three burner stove. Alongside this, she received support on menu expansion and hygienic food practices. With faster service and a broader offering, she is now able to serve more customers and has seen a clear increase in her daily earnings.
Across the programme, vendors are seeing tangible shifts. They are able to serve more customers, improve visibility, and ultimately earn more. With early results showing clear income gains, the initiative is now scaling to 500 vendors in Bengaluru, with the potential to unlock significantly more value across the city’s street food ecosystem.
Read the full story that first appeared in Our Bangalore dated June 6-12, 2026 here:
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