Meet a Remarkable Restaurateur Who Has Nourished the Coastal Virginia Community for Decades
Community service is at the heart of all of Dr. Yash P. Chhabra’s operations. Chhabra, President and CEO of Rajput Group of Companies, owns the beloved Rajput Indian Cuisine and Raput Indian Eats restaurants on Virginia’s Southside, as well as runs a number of other food industry-related services and participates in countless philanthropic initiatives.
“Giving back to the community is in my DNA,” says Chhabra. “Like it was my father’s blessing, these blessings are what I believe in.” With a strong belief in karma, Chhabra has experienced the principle in its full cycle, both as a giver and a receiver, acknowledging that he personally felt the power of community support in recent years with how good people were to his businesses during the pandemic.
Delicious, authentic international flavors—from tandooris and curries to biryanis and other regional specialties—are served in his three restaurants in Coastal Virginia. Rajput Indian Cuisine can be found in Suffolk’s Harbour View area, where diners are treated to an elevated ambiance, and another location in Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood that has a more casual dining environment. The Chesapeake-based Rajput Indian Eats offers diners a “fast casual” set up, providing the flexibility of dining in a welcoming atmosphere or taking their meal to go. “I’m always looking for a competitive edge, a totally different concept than I’ve ever seen,” he says. “I started the fast casual as something new and upcoming, but I want to keep class to it.”
Chhabra is not a trained chef. In fact, he earned a business degree in Punjab, India. Rather, he is a food enthusiast and recipe creator who has accumulated decades of food industry experience as a restaurateur, entrepreneur, collaborator, consultant and, as of 2023, an author of Indo Vegan 100 Recipes: Powered By Ancient India Kitchen.
Chhabra’s food career began in New York, where he first gained restaurant experience, followed by opening an Indian restaurant with a partner in 1992 in Norfolk, Virginia, a region where Indian dishes were difficult to find on menus. In 1999, he opened Rajput Indian Cuisine in Hampton, Virginia. Fast forward to several restaurant locations later and soon Chhabra will see his Rajput Indian Cuisine restaurant endeavor mark its 25th anniversary (celebration in January 2025). In addition, he manages H&S Restaurants, a consulting firm providing services relating to restaurant operations. Most recently, in partnership with software platforms GrabKnock and Andro Cloud Solution, Chhabra has helped several restaurants launch web and App online ordering services for their businesses.
Chhabra emphasizes that his immediate family has been instrumental in supporting business operations. Since Rajput Indian Cuisine opened in 1999, his wife, Kiran, has been a tremendous help as have their two children, daughter Dr. Jaya, now a dentist, and son Nipun, both of whom worked at the restaurants over the years and Nipun currently manages the Norfolk location.
Chhabra witnessed his family performing good deeds as a way of life, which greatly influenced his path to become a devoted philanthropist. His own tireless community work includes countless food drives feeding local community members from hospital providers to Temples. Virginia Peninsula Foodbank, Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore, March of Dimes, and EVMS—are just a handful of the organizations that have benefited from Chhabra’s kind acts.
For more information, visit PaulChhabra.com or RajputOnline.com.
Rajput Indian Cuisine – 3 locations!
742 W 21st St, Ste #E
Norfolk, VA 23517
757-625-4634
2099 Sun Harbour Ave, Ste #115
Suffolk, VA 23435
757-484-4444
1412 Greenbrier Pkwy #135
Chesapeake, VA 23320
757-222-2888
