Going to TT360? Questions to ask any kitchen tech vendor

TT360 2026 runs from 5 to 7 November at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), with 260 booths and a cooking-robot showcase on 6 November. To come back with something useful, decide before you go which two or three problems you are trying to solve, bring the numbers a vendor needs to answer properly, and ask every stand the same questions. Then score the answers within a week.

Three days of demos blur together quickly. A short, consistent set of questions is what turns a busy show into a shortlist you can defend to your finance team.

What is TT360 2026?

TT360 2026 is the third edition of Taste & Trade 360, a food and beverage trade show running from 5 to 7 November 2026 in Halls 1 and 2 of KLCC. It is organised by Brilliant Exhibitions Sdn Bhd and supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), with Ping Edge Technology Bhd as main sponsor. Organisers have lined up 260 booths over 4,832 square metres and are targeting 25,000 visitors. Kitchen Arena and the RESONEX Retail Solution Expo run alongside it.

Robots will be the headline. At the media launch, the main sponsor’s chief executive said he believes AI, robotics and automation will be part of basic commercial kitchen equipment by 2028. That is one person’s view, and we looked at what AI can already do in the kitchen when it was made. But the kitchen technology on show at KLCC goes well beyond robots, and like any large F&B expo in Kuala Lumpur, it rewards preparation.

Before you go: pick the problems and bring your numbers

Write down two or three problems, in operating terms. Not “we want AI”, but “food cost at our mall outlets runs above the rest”, “the fry station stops whenever one cook is off” or “the central kitchen plans production from WhatsApp messages”. A vendor who can’t connect their product to one of these is a vendor for someone else.

Bring your numbers on one page. The answers you get are only as specific as what you tell the vendor:

• outlets, brands and whether you run a central kitchen
• POS system, and ERP or accounting system
• cameras per outlet, whether they are IP cameras, and how footage is stored
• current tools for ordering, stock, recipes and rostering
• who signs off, and your rough timeline

Decide who goes. An operations lead and the person who will run the system day to day ask better questions together than either does alone. If IT or finance can’t attend, write their questions into the list.

What should you ask a kitchen tech vendor?

Ask every stand the same questions, in the same order, and write the answers down. These kitchen tech vendor questions work for software and hardware alike; the last four rows are for robot stands.

Category	Question	What a good answer sounds like
Fit	Which of my problems does this solve, and how would we measure it?	Names one or two, explains the measure, and says what it doesn’t do
Fit	Who is it built for?	Specific outlet counts and formats, with or without a central kitchen
Integration	Does it connect to my POS and ERP today, and how?	Names your systems, says live API or file transfer, and who maintains it
Integration	What happens to the data we already have?	A migration plan for recipes, items and history, with who does the work
Data and PDPA	Where is our data stored, who can see it, and for how long?	A named hosting region, role-based access, configurable retention, a written agreement
Data and PDPA	For cameras, is anyone identified, and what leaves the site?	A plain answer on face recognition, what is stored, and how staff are told
Rollout	How long to a working pilot, and what do you need from us?	Weeks, not “it depends”, with tasks on both sides and a plan after the pilot
Local support	Who supports us, in what hours and language, and how fast?	A local team, response times in writing, a named contact
Total cost	What is the full cost over three years?	Licence, setup, hardware, integration, training and support, itemised
Proof	Which operators like us use it, and can I call one?	References of similar size and format, offered without hesitation
Robots: footprint and power	How much space, power and ventilation does it need?	Exact dimensions, electrical load and extraction needs, plus a site survey
Robots: cleaning	How long does cleaning take between services, and who does it?	A timed routine your own staff can follow
Robots: menu flexibility	How do we add or change a dish?	Shows it on the stand, and says who programmes it and how long it takes
Robots: downtime	What happens if it fails mid-service?	A manual fallback, spare parts held locally, a technician response time in writing

Two notes. On integration, “we have an API” is not an answer; ask whether a connection to your exact POS and ERP is live at another customer, and read up on what connecting POS, ERP and finance involves before you go. On data, anything involving personal data, including camera footage of staff, falls under Malaysia’s Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA). A vendor’s answer is a starting point; check your obligations with your own adviser.

How do you compare vendors after the show?

Score each vendor from 1 to 5 on the same criteria, weight the criteria by what matters to you, and add up. A simple version:

Criterion	Example weight	What a 5 looks like
Fit to your problems	25%	Solves one of your named problems, with a clear measure
Integration	20%	Connects to your POS and ERP today, not on the roadmap
Rollout and support	15%	A credible pilot plan, a local team, response times in writing
Total cost	15%	An itemised three-year cost with no surprises
Proof	15%	A reference you actually spoke to
Data and privacy	10%	Clear answers on storage, access and retention

Anything that scores below 3 on fit drops out, however good the demo was.

Follow up while the conversation is fresh

1. Write up each conversation within two days, against the scorecard, before the stands start to merge in your memory.
2. Send your one-page numbers to the top two or three and ask for a proposal scoped to your named problems, not a generic deck.
3. Get integration in writing: which systems, which method, and who maintains the connection.
4. Call the references and ask what took longer than promised.
5. Agree a pilot with success measures before signing for the whole network: one outlet or region, a fixed period, and the numbers you will judge it by. It helps to know what a rollout actually takes before that conversation.

A second opinion on your shortlist

We build kitchen operations software ourselves, so we know which answers hold up once a system meets a real kitchen. If you come back from TT360 with a shortlist and want a second pair of eyes on integration claims, rollout plans or total cost, Codemax is happy to look at it with you, whichever vendors are on it. We will tell you plainly where an answer sounds solid and where it needs more detail.

A five-minute check before you go

• Can you state your two or three problems in one sentence each?
• Is your one-page fact sheet on your phone?
• Does everyone going know which day matters most to them, including 6 November if robots are on your list?
• Who will write up the scorecards, and by when?

If you can answer all four, you will leave KLCC with a shortlist rather than a bag of brochures.

Frequently asked questions

When and where is TT360 2026?

TT360 2026, the third edition of Taste & Trade 360, runs from 5 to 7 November 2026 in Halls 1 and 2 of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). It is organised by Brilliant Exhibitions Sdn Bhd, with Kitchen Arena and the RESONEX Retail Solution Expo co-located, and includes a Battle of the Bots cooking-robot showcase on 6 November.

What should I ask a kitchen technology vendor in Malaysia?

Ask a kitchen technology vendor in Malaysia which of your specific problems the product solves, which POS and ERP systems it connects to today, where your data is stored and for how long, how long a pilot takes, who supports you locally and how fast, what the full cost is over three years, and which similar operators you can speak to.

What should I ask a cooking robot supplier?

Ask a cooking robot supplier how much floor space, power and ventilation the unit needs, how long cleaning takes between services and who does it, how a new or changed dish is programmed, what the kitchen does if the unit fails mid-service, and how quickly a local technician can attend. Where possible, ask to see it cook one of your dishes, not just the demo dish.

How do I compare kitchen tech vendors after a trade show?

Compare kitchen tech vendors with a simple weighted scorecard covering fit to your problems, integration, data and privacy, rollout and support, total cost and proof from similar operators. Score each vendor from 1 to 5 on each criterion within a week of the show, ask the top two or three for a scoped proposal and references, and agree success measures before any pilot.

Sources

1. Taste & Trade 360 2026 himpun 260 reruai, bawa robot memasak, AI dan EV food truck ke industri F&B Malaysia — Max-Infos, 6 Oct 2026
2. Kitchen robots set to reshape F&B operations — New Straits Times, 4 Oct 2026