‘Cake Potti’ at Agargaon: As eviction drives go on, what’s next for the rising entrepreneurs and vendors?
As viral fame turned a quiet Agargaon street into a cake lover’s hotspot, a wave of small entrepreneurs found hope and income — until eviction drives began shutting it all down. With looming uncertainties, regular street vendors operating in the area now fear losing the only source of income
Mamtaz grew anxious when asked how her cake business was going — her stall, located opposite the ICT Tower, was the only cake stall we spotted in the area on Sunday evening.
"Are you a YouTuber?", she asked, glancing nervously at our phone. "The swarm of YouTubers gathering here has disrupted our lives. I now live in constant fear that I might also be evicted from this place."
Her fear isn't unfounded. Just days earlier, dozens of cake vendors were evicted from the nearby Election Commission Road following a police drive. The once-thriving Cake Potti was shut down for traffic disruption, overcrowding, and chaos — and much of it fuelled by viral contents that were making rounds on social media platforms.
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If that were to happen, Mamtaz said, she would lose everything. Her family survives on the modest income she earns from selling cakes on the street.
"My husband works, but it's not enough to support the family. The money I make from selling cakes helps cover additional expenses — from rent to my children's education," she explained.
Most vendors like me do this work because we need to support our families. You cannot just crush the little dreams we have, especially when opportunities for survival are so scarce. You cannot just cut the head because you have got a bad headache.
Unlike the now-viral Cake Potti on Election Commission Road — recently evicted — Mamtaz has always kept a low profile. Next to her sits Payel, who sells a variety of homemade pickles.
She witnessed the eviction of Cake Potti with her own eyes, as well as the meteoric rise it experienced during its viral days. "Business was booming. This area used to be packed with hundreds of people," Payel recalled.
Each evening, the broad street in front of the Election Commission building transformed into a lively, carnival-like space. What had started as a street food zone evolved into a bustling marketplace for cakes — popularly known as Cake Potti. While some referred to it simply as Cake Potti, others fondly called it a paradise for cake lovers, drawn in by viral videos on Facebook and YouTube.
The entrepreneurs believe that the massive crowds, driven by social media attention — and the influx of YouTubers flocking to film the scene — both created the craze in the first place and then chaos.
This eventually led to the eviction of the cake vendors, creating anxiety among vendors like Mamtaz who's out there not for fame but to survive.
Even the regular food and street vendors, who have long depended on the area for their livelihoods, now fear that they too may be forced to leave. And long-term street vendors in the area, like Payel, who saw their businesses booming for being in the close proximity of Cake Potti, are dismayed by the fact that their rising income is getting back to normal.
The eviction drive began on Thursday night, October 9, by removing the temporary stalls.
According to the police, these vendors were obstructing traffic, and they acted on a request from the Election Commission.
"We're maintaining patrols to keep traffic flowing. The directive applies not just to cake vendors, but all makeshift stalls along the road," said Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Imamul Haque. And this is exactly why longtime vendors like Payel and Jahid worry that their livelihood may hang in the balance soon.
"If you have to bring discipline – which indeed was necessary for chaotic crowds, do so; but why do it by depriving us of the only source of income?", lamented Jahid, a vendor who fears his business there might be impacted.
Evolution of Agargaon's street food scene
Several vendors revealed they have been selling food from vans by the roadside here for the past seven years, continuing their trade despite challenges. They used to pay monthly protection fees for their spots, but this opportunity ceased after the changeover.
In 2021, LED lights were installed along this road, leading to a growth in temporary food stalls — though homemade cakes were not yet part of the scene. From the Islamic Foundation to the Public Service Commission (PSC) office, various food stalls appeared every evening.
The launch of the metro rail in 2022 and the nearby Agargaon station brought more visitors to enjoy street food. In 2023, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) introduced the "Holiday Market" here on Fridays and Saturdays, promoting SMEs selling food, clothing, and more.
Though street food has long thrived here, the past month has seen a surge in activity thanks to viral cake sellers.
The heydays of Cake Potti
Cake sellers used to line the road from Agargaon metro station to the Election Commission office after around 5 PM. By sunset, the place buzzed with activity. Crowds of buyers, sellers, and curious visitors flooded the street, turning it into a makeshift carnival.
Over 100 makeshift stalls used to be set up from the corner of the Election Commission building to the Government Music College. Sellers, many of them women, displayed homemade cakes in various flavours — some on tables, others from the hoods of cars turned into showrooms.
Though street food had been sold in the area for over three years, the recent surge was driven by viral social media content highlighting the cake sellers and their activities.
Two names, in particular, captured public attention — 'Viral Jakir' and 'Simi Apa'. Both became online sensations. Jakir sold cakes opposite the ICT Tower, while Sidratul Muntaha Simi, known as Simi Apa, set up her stall in front of the Election Commission. They sold cake slices for 100–120 taka, while the price of whole cakes ranged from 800 to 1,000 taka.
"I tasted a cake at Jakir bhai's stall in mid-September. Just a few days later, on September 21, I brought five cakes to sell. When they all sold out, I decided to keep going. On my best day, I sold around 24 cakes," Simi told TBS, surrounded by a swarm of YouTubers, Facebookers, and TikTokers.
In its heyday (Cake Potti), the competition for space was intense. Vendors arrived early to secure prime spots, and popular stalls often faced attempts by others to take over the next day.
The rise of entrepreneurship
The viral cake scene at Agargaon sparked a wave of small-scale entrepreneurship. Fahad Tanvir of Cake Heaven said, "We've been selling cakes online in Uttara for four years. After seeing Agargaon on Facebook, we decided to come here. Fridays were the busiest — we brought and sold around 12 cakes during those popular days."
Ibrahim Hossain added, "I work in an office during the day. After work, I used to go there with cakes my wife baked. It turned into a source of extra income."
However, in their effort to curb disorder, the authorities seem to have dampened the entrepreneurial spirit.
On a relatively quiet Sunday evening, with the Cake Potti no longer bustling, pickles vendor Payel expressed her disappointment over the low customer turnout.
"Most vendors like me do this work because we need to support our families," she said. "You cannot just crush the little dreams we have, especially when opportunities for survival are so scarce. You cannot just cut the head because you have got a bad headache."
With ongoing eviction drives, no one knows what's next for the regular vendors who have been earning a living by selling things in the same area for years.
