Allen Peake was born and raised in Macon, Georgia. Allen graduated from First Presbyterian Day School, attended Auburn University and graduated from Mercer University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in Accounting. Allen also attended Dallas Theological Seminary.

Allen started his restaurant career as an accounting supervisor for RMS Family Restaurants (RMS) in 1985. In 1988, he was part of a management led leveraged buyout that took RMS private and resulted in his promotion to chief financial officer. Allen passed the CPA exam in 1989, therefore earning his status as a certified public accountant. In 1995, Allen was promoted to president and chief executive officer of RMS. He helped lead RMS to becoming the 10th largest restaurant franchise company in the U.S.A., operating over 130 restaurants in 3 different states, including Shoney’s, Popeye’s, Fazoli’s, Church’s, and Captain D ’s.

In 1999, Allen and partner Mike Chumbley became Cheddar’s Casual Café franchisees. They also purchased the 11 Captain D’s from RMS in 2000. Allen now owns 6 Cheddar’s in Macon, Warner Robins, Savannah, Columbus, Augusta and Valdosta, and 12 Captain D’s in Macon and surrounding areas, including Augusta. Allen’s business philosophy is based on servant leadership - the biblical principle that the best leaders are those that serve others. Allen’s business model is based on service to customers, employees, and the communities in which his restaurants do business.

Allen has been married to Betsy Middlebrooks Peake for 27 years, and has 3 children - Kristi, 24, a cosmetologist in Macon; Joby, 22, a college senior at Auburn, where he runs on the Cross-Country team; and Corrie, 16, a sophomore at First Presbyterian Day School. His mother, Ann Peake, has been involved in numerous charities in the Macon area.

His father, George Peake, who passed away in 2000, was past president of Georgia Timberlands and also was a former chairman of the State Republican Party. His in-laws, Henry and Jane Middlebrooks, were both life-long educators, with Henry serving as headmaster at First Presbyterian Day School for 25 years. Jane passed away in 1994.

Allen’s hobbies include running, playing competitive amateur golf (he qualified in 2005 for the United States Mid-Amateur), and scuba diving. An interesting fact about Allen is that he applied for and was interviewed for the reality TV show "The Amazing Race."

Allen has been involved with numerous committees with First Presbyterian Day School, served as a Trustee of the Georgia State Golf Foundation, and has supported numerous charities in the Middle Georgia area, including Sav-a-Life Crisis Pregnancy Center, Covenant Care Adoption Agency, Methodist Youth Home, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Young Life.

Allen will be in his third term in the Georgia State House of Representatives. He serves on the Appropriations, Ways and Means, Banks and Banking, and Children and Youth Committees. He also was appointed to the Special Committee on Small Business Development, and serves on the Republican Caucus Policy and Politics Committee. He was re-elected in November 2010 by his colleagues as the Majority Caucus Secretary/Treasurer position, which places him on the House Leadership Team.

He was named the Legislator of the Year by the Advocacy Resource Center, and was selected to represent Georgia in the Emerging Political Leaders Program at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. This program is sponsored by the State Legislative Leader’s Foundation. He also graduated from the Georgia Legislative Leadership Institute, a training program designed for rising leaders in the General Assembly.

Allen has helped author and push through legislation in many diverse areas, including bills aimed at providing tax credits to rehabilitate homes and buildings with historic designations, improving adoption laws, providing protections for Alzheimer’s patients, and most recently, was the driving force behind the new bill passed in the 2010 legislative session banning texting while driving for all drivers.