Informal work has received much attention in global policy and research over the past four decades, however, policy approaches have favoured an economic way of thinking about informality rather than a spatial or urban perspective. This article investigates city-scale trends within the informal food economy of Bengaluru, attempting to use a spatial lens to understand informal work. The study involved a large scale quantitative survey of informal food businesses in different kinds of neighborhoods across the city, as well as in-depth interviews with a smaller set of businesses. Through the survey and interviews, we studied the variety of business setups and their operations, occupational mobility and financial stability. This article attempts to demonstrate: (i) the diversity of outcomes for vendors over time, and (ii) how vendors' occupational history and social networks play a role in creating (and closing off) vending opportunities, and (iii) how the spatial-economic structure of the city, defined here as specific land typologies, influences the operations and financial prospects of informal food businesses.