Top Dog Vending is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based company that provides AI-powered smart stores for apartments, offices, and commercial properties. Smart stores are automated glass-door retail units stocked with fresh food, drinks, snacks, and daily essentials — available 24/7 with AI-powered checkout that requires no app, no scanning, and no staff.
Top Dog handles all installation, stocking, maintenance, and tech support — at zero cost to your property. Founded by Knoxville natives Emory and Ellie, Top Dog partners with properties across East Tennessee to deliver a premium amenity that people actually use.
It's Not a Vending Machine.
It's a fully automated mini retail store with AI-powered checkout, fresh food and essentials, and a sleek design that upgrades your building — not clutters it. And it costs your property absolutely nothing.
No scanning, no lines, no cashier. Vision sensors detect what customers take and charge automatically.
Way beyond chips and soda. Fresh meals, snacks, drinks, and daily essentials — curated for the people in your building.
People shop anytime — after a late shift, early morning, or midnight craving. The store never closes.
Glass-door smart stores elevate your lobby. This is a modern amenity, not a vending machine in a hallway.
Tap a card, open the door, grab and go. No download, no account, no friction — just instant access for everyone in your building.
Every store is tailored to your building. Scan the QR code to request products your people actually want — we stock it, they love it.
Smart Stores, Built for Your Building.
Pick the configuration your building needs — freezer, fridge, ambient, or any combination. After install, a built-in QR code lets people request the products they actually want. Your store. Their preferences. Our execution.
Three Steps. Zero Hassle.
Getting a smart store in your building is simple. We do the heavy lifting — you enjoy the results.
We place a smart store in your lobby, break room, mail room, or common area. No renovation — just a standard outlet and WiFi connection.
Tap a card, open the door, grab what you want, close it. AI handles checkout automatically. No app required.
Happier people, zero effort from your staff, and real-time usage data. We tailor every partnership to fit your property's needs.
Every smart store includes a QR code where people can request specific products. Want oat milk? A specific protein bar? Better energy drinks? They scan, they request, we stock it. The store adapts to what your building actually wants — not a one-size-fits-all selection.
What a Smart Store Delivers
Building managers don't need another task — they need solutions that reduce workload and deliver results. Top Dog does both.
Top Dog provides and maintains all equipment. No upfront investment, no monthly fees, no hidden costs.
Daily convenience builds habits. People who use the store make it part of their routine — and their decision to stay.
Fully automated. We handle stocking, maintenance, cleaning, and tech support. Your team never touches it.
We negotiate terms tailored to your property's wants and needs. No rigid contracts — just a partnership that works for you.
A glass-door smart store signals that management invests in the building experience. It's a selling point for prospective tenants and employees.
See what sells, when, and how often. We share insights so you understand what the people in your building actually want.
Real People. Real Commitment.
Your Partners in Vending.
When you work with Top Dog, you're not dealing with a faceless corporation — you're working directly with the people who built this company from the ground up.
Born and raised right here in Knoxville. Emory comes from a successful career in building material sales, but saw the explosive growth in the smart vending industry and knew it was time to build something of his own. He brings the same drive and work ethic that made him a top performer in sales — now focused entirely on making Top Dog the best vending partner in East Tennessee.
Also born and raised in Knoxville, Ellie brings a strong sales background and a deep love for the local community. Together with Emory, she wanted to create something they could call their own — a business rooted in Knoxville pride, personal service, and genuine relationships with every property they serve.
Local Roots. Knoxville Pride.
Dependable Execution.
We're not a national franchise routing your call to a regional office. We're Knoxville-based, property-focused, and personally invested in every store we place.
We're not a national franchise calling from a call center. We're your neighbors — born and built in Knoxville.
No regional reps. No corporate runaround. When you partner with Top Dog, you deal straight with the decision makers — Emory and Ellie.
Same-day restocking, same-day service. Because we're 15 minutes away, not 1,500 miles.
Installation, stocking, maintenance, tech support, product sourcing. You get the credit — we do the work.
Any property with people who need convenient access to food and essentials is a fit. Apartments, offices, mixed-use buildings, and commercial spaces — if your building has foot traffic, we'll make it work.
Got Questions? We've Got Answers.
Everything you need to know before getting started.
A smart store costs the property nothing — zero upfront investment, zero monthly fees, and zero hidden costs. Top Dog Vending provides, installs, and maintains all equipment at no cost to properties in Knoxville, TN — apartments, offices, and commercial buildings. We handle the entire investment so you can offer a premium amenity without any financial risk.
No — a Top Dog smart store requires zero staff involvement. We handle installation, restocking, maintenance, cleaning, and tech support. Your team never needs to touch it, troubleshoot it, or manage it in any way.
Yes. Every Top Dog smart store includes a QR code that anyone in your building can scan to request specific products. We adapt the product mix based on what your building actually wants — not a one-size-fits-all selection. Want oat milk, a specific protein bar, or a favorite energy drink? Request it and we stock it.
A smart store requires minimal space — roughly the footprint of a standard refrigerator per door. It fits in a lobby corner, break room, mail room, clubhouse, or common area. Top Dog will assess your space for free and recommend the best placement for your property's layout.
Customers tap a credit or debit card on the reader to unlock the door, take whatever items they want, and close the door. AI-powered vision sensors inside the unit detect exactly what was removed and charge the card automatically — usually within seconds. There is no scanning, no app to download, and no checkout line.
Yes — smart stores are fully secure. The door only unlocks after a valid payment method is verified. Every transaction is tracked and monitored in real time with AI vision technology, so each item taken is accurately recorded and billed to the correct customer.
A smart store is an AI-powered, automated retail unit that looks like a glass-door cooler or mini convenience store. Unlike traditional vending machines, smart stores let customers open the door, grab multiple items at once, and close it — with AI handling checkout automatically. They carry fresh food, drinks, snacks, and essentials, and are available 24/7 with no staff required.
Smart stores can carry a wide range of products across freezer, fridge, and ambient configurations — including fresh meals, salads, sandwiches, yogurt, frozen dinners, ice cream, bottled drinks, energy drinks, snacks, protein bars, toiletries, phone chargers, and over-the-counter medicine. The selection is customized to each building.
Top Dog Vending is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based smart store company founded by Emory and Ellie. They provide AI-powered automated retail stores for apartments, offices, and commercial properties in East Tennessee. Top Dog handles all installation, stocking, maintenance, and tech support — at zero cost to your property. Unlike national franchises, Top Dog is locally owned and operated with same-day service response times.
Smart stores differ from traditional vending machines in several key ways: they use AI-powered checkout instead of mechanical coils, carry fresh food and hundreds of products instead of just packaged snacks, allow customers to grab multiple items at once instead of one at a time, and feature a sleek glass-door design instead of a bulky metal box. Smart stores are a modern retail experience, not a vending machine.
Ready to See What a Smart Store
Can Do for Your Property?
Fill out the form below and we'll reach out for a no-pressure walkthrough. We'll show you exactly how it works and what it would look like in your building.