How a food street transformed the face of Khilgaon-Taltola
Within the stretch of 1.85km-Shaheed Baki Road and 300m-Chowdhury Para Road, there are at least 400 shops. One-third of them are restaurants, and while the rest are snacks bars, fashion houses and homeware stores, besides 12 branches of commercial banks
Having just stepped out of a coffee shop, private bank official Nazneen Ahmad stood on the spacious Shaheed Baki Road footpath for a while, amazed at the sight of a row of gleaming shops in front of her.
Instead of complaining about the humidity that evening - having just stepped out of an air-conditioned area - she murmured, "So many shops out there. The area has changed completely."
Nazneen's companion Samiya, also her childhood friend, responded, "Remember how we spent our afternoons here walking along the road. There was barely anything here." Nazneen and Samiya had lived in the Khilgaon area a decade back with their families.
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Things had changed in the past seven to eight years. The two friends had moved out of the area after their marriages, around the time the road received a facelift when eateries decided to move there. It has now completely transformed from a residential area into a thriving food sanctuary.
This transformation has had a positive impact on the economy of the area, with increased sales in the Khilgaon (Taltola) City Corporation Super Market - which was built in the late 1980s - but remained dull until the food shops started to attract large numbers of visitors to this locality.
Within the stretch of 1.85km-Shaheed Baki Road and 300m-Chowdhury Para Road, there are at least 400 shops. One-third of them are restaurants, while the rest are ice cream and juice corners, snacks bars, clothing brand showrooms and homeware stores; beside 12 branches of different commercial banks.
Interestingly, the Shaheed Baki Road connects Dhaka North City and Dhaka South City in the Khilgaon portion, attracting huge crowds of young foodies from both sides of the capital city every evening, said organisers of the shop owners' association. They added that in the last fiscal year, they paid Tk2 crore in income tax to the government. This tax would have been higher if some of the shops that fell under the Dhaka North City Corporation constituency were provided with trade licences.
Here, you can find a variety of different foods in one location. There are restaurants and eateries that offer pizza, pasta, seafood, subcontinental dinners, desserts and different coffees. Although many food franchises have staked their claim here, there are still many options for food lovers to enjoy food at reasonable prices.
"Most importantly, this place is free from the deafening noise of the city and the movement of heavy vehicles. This is suitable for hanging out with people close to you. You can even pass time standing on the footpath for hours," said Asif, who visited the place on 5 September with his newly married wife Jesmin. The couple came from the Rampura area.
A decade back
Decades back, the Khilgaon area was one of the least developed localities of Dhaka. People knew it as a place mostly for cheap residential housing. There were a few RMG factories there amidst congested semi-urban establishments.
Every morning and evening, flocks of RMG workers would cross the Shaheed Baki Road. Although the Taltola Super Market existed even back then, it could hardly attract shoppers even during the festival season. However, the two-storey market housed a number of phuchka shops on its ground floor, which local youths frequented during the afternoons.
In 2006, a small coffee house named Apon Coffee Shop started selling brewed hot drinks beside the road. Initially, the shop only covered an area of 150 sq ft and there was no seating arrangement. Soon after, Apon Coffee Shop introduced 'Cold Coffee' to local customers.
Apon Coffee Shop owner Mahtab Talukder recollected, "Day by day, the popularity of our cold coffee grew. People from nearby areas, as well as distant places, flocked to our shop. Seeing the business potential, many other entrepreneurs opened coffee and snacks shops and restaurants along the road."
At present, Apon Coffee Shop operates through two large outlets. Besides selling 23 varieties of coffee, the shop also offers Indian food, burgers, sandwiches, juices and milkshakes.
During a recent visit, the outlets were found packed with crowds. There were couples, friends and family members all enjoying food. Some others were waiting on the footpath. But there was no rush.
Why do foodies prefer this place over other food streets? Mahtab explained, "This is a quiet place [Taltola]. There is no traffic congestion. Another attraction is quality food at a relatively cheaper price compared to the posher parts of Dhaka."
With an abundance of similar food shops nearby, the entrepreneurs are thriving in a competitive business, focused only on serving quality food.
"Almost all the entrepreneurs are quite educated. They don't engage in unhealthy competition. Best quality service is their only motto to attract more customers," said Syed Monsurul Haque, general secretary of Taltola Shop Owners' Association and also the proprietor of Tangail Chom Chom Ghor and Bakery. As he spoke, he served a customer a fresh portion of the special sweetmeat of Tangail district.
The association leader added that he believed that a simple misdeed [by any food seller] would tarnish the image of the whole food street, which is a huge source of employment. According to him, the street has created employment for approximately 8,000 people, including shop attendants and supply chain staff.
This food street has given new life to the Taltola City Corporation Super Market, some of the market-based shop owners said. Established in 1986, the market is on a 4.45-acre area and comprises a total of 858 shops, but remained a neglected business hub in Khilgaon for many years.
There were a variety of shops - from mobile handsets to RMG and jewellery products - yet the locals preferred the Mouchak Market or the Anarkali Market in Malibagh.
"Ever since the food shops started getting crowded, the number of customers in our market has increased remarkably. Eventually, sales also increased," said Motaleb Kazi Mintu, the office secretary of Khilgaon (Taltola) City Corporation Super Market Shop Owners' Association. Mintu, however, didn't give an estimate of the increased volume of sales.
The vibrant food street has also apparently raised rents to almost double.
"A moderate-sized shop's rent was Tk50,000 eight years ago. Now it is Tk85,000," Monsurul Haque said, adding, "As shops are attached (on the ground floor) to residential buildings, the house rent has also increased by a minimum of Tk2,000."
Representatives of both associations called on the relevant authorities to free the Shaheed Baki Road footpath from hawkers and floating food vendors.
"As this place has become a gathering point for youngsters, drug peddlers are spreading their web here, which is very concerning. If this crime goes on unabated, good people will stop visiting the food zone," Monsurul expressed worry.
