Mr Choti Wala

Chotiwala is the restaurant’s live mascot: a plump Brahmin man seated at the entrance, whose appearance and role embody the brand’s identity. Traditionally, he has a shaved head with a choti (hair tuft), facial markings associated with orthodox Brahmins, and bright dhoti-style clothing, visually signaling purity and ritual cooking lineage. He functions as a living symbol of the restaurant’s heritage and vegetarian ethos, echoing the older North Indian custom of Brahmin “maharaj” cooks. At the same time, his constant presence at the doorway turns him into a focal point for visitors’ attention and photography, blurring the line between person and promotional figure. This creates a slightly uneasy contrast: a human being performing a static, emblematic role for long hours, yet also preserving a distinctive local tradition that many tourists now associate with Rishikesh itself.