Executive Spotlight: John Wade, Founder & CEO of AES Restaurant Group (2027)
John Wade is the founder and CEO of AES Restaurant Group, an Arby's franchisee based in Zionsville, Indiana. After 13 years with the franchisee RTM, where he rose to Region President, Wade bought six Arby's restaurants in Lafayette, Lebanon and Frankfort, Indiana in September 2004. That purchase is how AES Restaurant Group, LLC was formed, according to the company.
The company has since grown mostly through acquisitions. In 2025 it added 40 restaurants and then 115 Inspire Brands-owned restaurants, and its own history page says AES became the world's largest Arby's franchisee in 2026. Wade has also chaired the Arby's Franchisee Association. This page covers public professional information only, taken from the company's website and trade press read for this page.
Current role and company
The company's own leadership page lists John Wade as Chief Executive Officer, and a 2024 Current Publishing article calls him founder and CEO. Franchise Times, in its April 2026 Dealmakers coverage, names him CEO of AES Restaurant Group. Count figures differ between sources and dates, so the table gives each with its source.
- CompanyAES Restaurant Group, LLC, an Arby's franchisee. The letters AES stand for "Attitude Equals Success," per the company.
- Headquarters7031 Mayflower Park Dr., Zionsville, Indiana (company website).
- TitleChief Executive Officer (company website); founder and CEO (Current Publishing, October 2024).
- FootprintCompany website: 362 Arby's restaurants across 20 states (undated). Franchise Times, April 2026: 344 Arby's locations in 20 states, from Montana to Florida.
- Other leadersJay Bedrosian, president, and Robert Bird, chief operating officer (promoted in October 2024); Luke Prifogle, chief financial officer (Franchise Times, 2026).
Career path
- Early years, Grandy's. The company biography says Wade started in the restaurant business at 16 at a Grandy's in Jefferson City, Missouri, became an assistant manager by 18, and later managed a store in Kansas City, Kansas and worked as a training manager in Topeka before leaving Grandy's.
- 1991, RTM Arby's. In April 1991 he joined RTM Arby's at a Topeka, Kansas restaurant. Within about 18 months he was promoted to area supervisor over four units in Lafayette and Crawfordsville, Indiana.
- 1996 to 2003, up the RTM ladder. Director of Operations over the southern half of Indianapolis in May 1996, with a first-year result the company describes as the number one district in all of RTM; Vice President of Operations for the Mid America Region in 1998; Region Vice President in 2000; Region President in May 2003, when he sat on RTM's Executive Committee.
- September 2004, AES is formed. Wade left RTM to become a franchisee by buying six Arby's units in Lafayette, Lebanon and Frankfort, Indiana. Franchising.com (2020) describes his start as acquiring seven restaurants he had earlier overseen as an area supervisor; the company's own history says six.
- 2019, franchisee association chair. The company says Wade was elected chairman of the Arby's Franchisee Association in 2019 and that AES was named Franchisee of the Year at the Arby's International Franchisee Convention that year.
What Wade is known for
- Building through acquisitions. The company's history page lists 29 units bought in the Dayton, Ohio market and 27 more across Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky in 2018, and 14 restaurants in Tennessee and Virginia plus 60 across seven other states in 2021. Wade told Franchise Times that to grow to any real size, "you need to look for opportunities to acquire."
- The 2025 deals. Franchise Times reports that AES added 115 restaurants from Inspire Brands and 40 franchise restaurants from Mosaic Management and Mosaic Red Hat Group, which took it to 344 Arby's locations and the number two spot in the Arby's system behind Flynn Group.
- A first non-Arby's brand. AES opened a Rusty Taco in Lafayette, Indiana in 2020, its first non-Arby's brand according to the company. Franchising.com quoted Wade on the concept: "we really loved the concept, the energy of it, the fun, the big garage doors being open."
- The AES Foundation. The company founded the AES Foundation in 2020 to distribute charitable grants to communities it serves, with organizations nominated by employees.
- 2026. The company history says AES bought 23 restaurants in the Knoxville, Tennessee market and became the world's largest Arby's franchisee. That claim is the company's own; Franchise Times in April 2026 still placed AES second.
Leadership style and philosophy
These are Wade's own words as quoted in trade press, with the year of each, plus the company's stated values.
- On working hard (2020). "If you're willing to work hard, you can be successful in whatever business you work in."
- On pacing growth (2026). "We have a history of gobbling up some acquisitions and then we digest for a little while before gobbling again." Wade described 2026 as a digesting year and said AES would wait until 2027 before looking at more acquisitions, per Franchise Times.
- On scale (2026). "We don't want to grow to be in all 50 states, though. That's not our goal."
- Company values. AES lists six values: Dream Big, Work Hard, Get It Done, Play Fair, Have Fun and Make a Difference.
Key numbers
Figures are company-reported or from trade press, each with its period. They are not audited, and counts differ by source and date.
- September 2004 (company-reported)Six Arby's units bought; AES Restaurant Group formed.
- September 2020 (Franchising.com)72 restaurants across Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Georgia.
- October 2024 (Current Publishing)Arby's restaurants in 16 states; described as Arby's third-largest franchise group.
- 2025 (company-reported history)40 restaurants added in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia; 115 restaurants added in the largest acquisition in company history.
- April 2026 (Franchise Times)344 Arby's locations in 20 states; four new restaurants built in the prior year; banking with Wintrust, Huntington and City National.
Questions people ask
Who is John Wade of AES Restaurant Group?
John Wade is the founder and CEO of AES Restaurant Group, an Arby's franchisee headquartered in Zionsville, Indiana. He formed the company in September 2004 by buying six Arby's restaurants after a career at the franchisee RTM.
How many Arby's restaurants does AES Restaurant Group operate?
It depends on the source and date. Franchise Times reported 344 in April 2026, while the company's website lists 362 across 20 states without a date. In 2020 the figure was 72, per Franchising.com.
How did John Wade start in the Arby's system?
According to the company biography, he joined RTM Arby's in April 1991 at a Topeka, Kansas restaurant, after starting at Grandy's as a teenager. He was promoted through operations roles to Region President in 2003 and left in September 2004 to become a franchisee.
Is AES the largest Arby's franchisee?
AES says on its own history page that it became the world's largest Arby's franchisee in 2026. Franchise Times in April 2026 ranked it second, behind Flynn Group at about 360 locations, so treat the claim as company-reported.
Does AES operate any brands other than Arby's?
The company's history says it opened a Rusty Taco in Lafayette, Indiana in 2020, its first non-Arby's brand.
Sources
- AES Restaurants: John Wade, Chief Executive Officer · Company biography, career path, HQ address; source of the hero photo
- AES Restaurants: History · Company-reported timeline 2004 to 2026, 2019 awards, foundation
- AES Restaurants: About AES · Philosophy, values, restaurant and state counts
- Franchise Times: Arby's Franchisee Buys and Builds Its Way to No. 2 in the System (Apr 29, 2026) · 2025 acquisitions, 344 locations, Wade quotes
- Franchising.com: Why One of the Largest Arby's Franchisees is Investing in Rusty Taco (Sep 1, 2020) · 2020 unit count, 2004 start, Rusty Taco and hard-work quotes
- Current Publishing: AES of Zionsville announces leadership changes (Oct 3, 2024) · Founder and CEO title, 16 states, leadership promotions
Facts were read from the linked pages on November 1, 2026. Titles, ownership and counts are as of the dates shown and may have changed. The hero photo is the solo headshot on the AES Restaurants website page headed John Wade, Chief Executive Officer, centered on a blurred card because the original is small. Photo: AES Restaurant Group (aesrestaurants.com). This page covers public professional information only.
Top photo: AES Restaurant Group (aesrestaurants.com)