It’s clear that Gen-Z loves Chow Town by Nedbank. After its launch in March 2023, Chow Town quickly became the most successful South African-developed game on the Roblox platform. It has an 88% approval rating and 508 upvotes on Roblox, and more than 91,800 users have played the game. Roblox is hugely popular among tween game players – and their parents, who can rest assured that the platform’s robust content moderation, secure chat features and strict age verification will keep their kids safe online.
 

Kairo’s adventures in Chow Town

And now the game for budding restaurant owners has the celebrity stamp of approval as well. Or do we mean the double-celebrity stamp of approval? We asked award-winning DJ, producer, actress, media personality and businesswoman DJ Zinhle to give the game a go with her fun-loving daughter, Kairo Forbes. It turns out, we picked exactly the right dynamic mother-daughter duo for the task.

We asked Zinhle about their experience with the game. How did she and Kairo react to being asked for their celebrity endorsement? ‘Definitely excited!’ Zinhle told us. ‘One thing you must know about Kairo – she absolutely loves Roblox. So, when we told her that the campaign was for a new game called Chow Town on Roblox, she lost it.’

Zinhle was just as excited: ‘I’m a mom – so any time I get to spend with my babies gets me excited.’
  

DJ Zinhle and Kairo: A passion for fun and learning

Being a mom also explains why Zinhle is happy to help promote Nedbank’s commitment to empowering young people with life lessons through gameplay. ‘I’m always honoured when brands that have great synergy with mine see me as a fit to relay their message,’ she told us. But the biggest attraction was the joy Chow Town would bring Kairo and her friends.

‘She’s been telling all her friends to download and play the game with her. All her cousins have been playing with her, especially during the recent holidays. She’s the boss of her new restaurant!’ her proud mama told us.

We got a taste of Kairo’s can-do attitude when we asked her if she’d ever like to run a real restaurant. ‘I don’t know if I’d be able to keep up with the tasks in real life, but it would be fun!’ she said.

Zinhle is also impressed by the skills Chow Town has taught Kairo: ‘She’s much more aware of finances, and so interested in running her restaurant.’

While youngsters are having fun running a virtual restaurant in Chow Town, they’re also getting a solid grounding in business skills. We developed Chow Town to give young entrepreneurs essential lessons in business and money management while they play. The immersive game integrates education on budgeting, investing and financial decision-making while players explore setting up, managing and expanding their virtual restaurants.

To get the right balance of fun and education, Nedbank partnered with Sea Monster, a leading African developer in the educational games sector, to create Chow Town. It’s a great way to engage eager young minds and give pre-teens the tools they need to plan for success – not just in virtual games, but for the rest of their lives.

Explore the exciting world of Chow Town by Nedbank – you can find it on the Roblox app.