UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K


                                 Current Report




                PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
                              EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)       February 27, 2002
                                                --------------------------------

Commission File Number:    000-17962


                         Applebee's International, Inc.
              ----------------------------------------------------
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

            Delaware                                      43-1461763
  ----------------------------              ------------------------------------
  (State or other jurisdiction of           (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
   incorporation or organization)

          4551 W. 107th Street, Suite 100, Overland Park, Kansas 66207
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              (Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

                                 (913) 967-4000
              ----------------------------------------------------
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)


                                      None
          -------------------------------------------------------------
          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)


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<PAGE>



Item 5.           Other Events

     On February 27, 2002, Applebee's International, Inc. (the "Company") issued
a press release entitled "Applebee's International  Reports February  Comparable
Sales;  Presentation at Bear Stearns Retail, Restaurants & Apparel Conference to
be Webcast." The press release contained the following information.




                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Carol DiRaimo,
         Director of Investor Relations
         (913) 967-4109


           Applebee's International Reports February Comparable Sales;
                      Presentation at Bear Stearns Retail,
                 Restaurants & Apparel Conference to be Webcast


     Overland Park, Kan.,  February 27, 2002 -- Applebee's  International,  Inc.
(Nasdaq:APPB)  today reported  comparable  sales for the four-week  period ended
February 24, 2002.  System-wide  comparable  sales increased 4.6 percent for the
February period,  and comparable sales for franchise  restaurants  increased 5.3
percent.  Comparable  sales  for  company  restaurants  increased  2.3  percent,
reflecting an increase in guest traffic of approximately  1.0 percent,  combined
with a higher average check.

     System-wide comparable sales for the  quarter-to-date  period (eight weeks)
have increased 4.7 percent,  with  franchise and company  restaurant  comparable
sales up 5.3 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.



Item 9.           Regulation FD Disclosure

     Applebee's International, Inc.(the "Company") also  announced the following
information.

     The company will be presenting at the Bear Stearns  Eighth  Annual  Retail,
Restaurants & Apparel  Conference  to be held in New York on Thursday,  February
28, 2002,  at 10:30 a.m.  Eastern Time. A webcast of this  presentation  will be
available   over  the  Internet  at   http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.
zhtml?ticker=APPB&script=1020&item_id=w,601252,0  and will also be  available at
the Investor Relations section of the company's website (www.applebees.com). The
archived  webcast  will be  available  for a  period  of 30 days  following  the
conference.

     Applebee's  International,  Inc.,  headquartered  in Overland  Park,  Kan.,
currently  develops,  franchises and operates  restaurants  under the Applebee's
Neighborhood  Grill and Bar brand,  the  largest  casual  dining  concept in the
world. There are currently 1,398 Applebee's restaurants operating system-wide in
49  states  and  eight  international   countries.   Additional  information  on
Applebee's    International    can   be   found   at   the   company's   website
(www.applebees.com).




                                      # # #



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<PAGE>


                                   SIGNATURES


Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

                                              APPLEBEE'S INTERNATIONAL, INC.
                                              (Registrant)


Date:    February 27, 2002                 By: /s/  George D. Shadid
         ---------------------                 ---------------------
                                               George D. Shadid
                                               Executive Vice President and
                                               Chief Financial Officer



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