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)       April 10, 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 April 10, 2002, Applebee's International,  Inc. and Panera Bread Company
issued a press  release  entitled  "Applebee's  International  and Panera  Bread
Clarify Comments Made at Banc of America  Securities  Consumer  Conference." The
press release contained the following information.


                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



Contacts: Applebee's - Carol DiRaimo
          Director of Investor Relations
          (913) 967-4109

          Panera Bread Company - Bill Moreton
          Chief Financial Officer
          (314) 633-7123


           Applebee's International and Panera Bread Clarify Comments
             Made at Banc of America Securities Consumer Conference

Overland  Park,  Kan.  and  St.  louis,   Mo.,  April  10,  2002  --  Applebee's
International,  Inc.  (Nasdaq:APPB) and Panera Bread Company (Nasdaq:PNRA) today
clarified comments made at the Banc of America Securities Consumer Conference on
Tuesday,  April 9, 2002. An article  published by Dow Jones Newswires  contained
certain  comments made by Steve Lumpkin,  Applebee's  chief  financial  officer,
which if taken out of full context, may be misinterpreted.

In  response  to  a  question,  Mr.  Lumpkin  noted  that  Applebee's  franchise
agreements  permit  franchisees  to operate  other  concepts that do not compete
directly  with  Applebee's  in menu or method of  operation.  He also noted that
Applebee's and Panera Bread were complementary concepts, and that Applebee's was
currently working  cooperatively on a few restaurant  development projects where
Applebee's and Panera are being built right next to each other.  Clarifying this
situation,  Mr. Lumpkin  commented  today that "there is no formal  agreement or
joint venture  between the two companies.  There are a few instances  where both
companies happen to be developing restaurants in the same real estate project."

                                      # # #









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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:    April 10, 2002                    By: /s/  Steven K. Lumpkin
         ---------------------                 ---------------------
                                               Steven K. Lumpkin
                                               Executive Vice President and
                                               Chief Financial Officer



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