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 24, 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 24, 2002, Applebee's International, Inc. (the "Company")  issued a
press release entitled "Applebee's  International Reports 18 Percent Increase in
First  Quarter  Diluted  Earnings Per  Share of  53 Cents."  The  press  release
contained  the  following information.




                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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


              Applebee's International Reports 18 Percent Increase
             in First Quarter Diluted Earnings Per Share of 53 Cents


Overland  Park,  Kan.,  April  24,  2002  --  Applebee's   International,   Inc.
(Nasdaq:APPB)  today reported net earnings of $20.3 million,  or 54 cents and 53
cents  per  share on a basic  and  diluted  basis,  respectively,  for the first
quarter ended March 31, 2002.  This represents an increase in earnings per share
of 20 percent  and 18 percent on a basic and  diluted  basis,  respectively,  as
compared with 45 cents per share on both a basic and diluted basis for the first
quarter of 2001.

System-wide  comparable  sales  exceeded the company's  expectation of zero to 2
percent,  increasing  3.5  percent  for  the  first  quarter.  Comparable  sales
increased  4.1 percent  for  franchise  restaurants  and 1.5 percent for company
restaurants.

The  company  also  reported  comparable  sales  for the  March  fiscal  period,
comprised of the five weeks ended March 31, 2002.  System-wide  comparable sales
increased  1.5  percent,   reflecting  a  2.2  percent  increase  for  franchise
restaurants and a 0.7 percent decrease for company restaurants.  The decrease in
comparable sales for company restaurants  reflects a decline in guest traffic of
2.5 to 3.0 percent,  offset in part by a higher average check.  March comparable
sales  were  negatively  impacted  by  the  shift  of  the  Easter  holiday  and
unfavorable weather in several company markets.

Lloyd L.  Hill,  chairman  and  chief  executive  officer,  said,  "Despite  the
continued   uncertainty  in  the  economy,  we  were  pleased  that  system-wide
comparable  sales for the quarter exceeded our  expectations.  While March sales
were lower than recent trends due to the timing of Easter, we expect system-wide
comparable  sales for the April  fiscal  period to be in excess of 3.0  percent,
including the positive impact of the holiday shift."


                                    - more -

                                       2
<PAGE>


"During the quarter,  we continued to devote additional  resources to our people
strategies through increased management staffing levels,  incentive compensation
and  retention  programs.  While  having a  near-term  impact on our  restaurant
margins,  these  investments  are  designed to improve  execution,  resulting in
higher guest  satisfaction,  and are critical to building sales and traffic over
the long-term.  As a result of our sales performance so far this year,  combined
with our strong value proposition and the investments we have made in our people
strategies,  we now expect system-wide comparable sales for the remainder of the
year to increase by at least 2 percent."

Hill  concluded,  "We ended the quarter  with over 1,400  restaurants  operating
system-wide,  more than our next two competitors  combined. We believe that this
dominant market position,  along with demographic and lifestyle trends, our food
and menu  initiatives,  marketing  strategies and franchise  business model will
continue to provide a solid foundation for future growth."

Other results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2002 included:

o    System-wide  sales for the Applebee's  concept were a record $795.1 million
     for the first  quarter  ended  March 31,  2002,  an  increase  of nearly 12
     percent over the prior year.

o    Operating  revenues  (comprised of company  restaurant  sales and franchise
     income) reached $199.8 million for the first quarter, an increase of nearly
     10 percent over the prior year.

o    Applebee's  ended the  quarter  with  1,404  restaurants  system-wide  (314
     company and 1,090 franchise restaurants). During the first quarter of 2002,
     there were 13 new Applebee's  restaurants opened  system-wide,  including 4
     company and 9 franchised restaurants.

o    The company repurchased 250,000 shares of common stock in the first quarter
     at an average price of $33.30 for an aggregate  cost of $8.3  million.  The
     company's 2001 stock repurchase  authorization has been extended for fiscal
     year 2002, of which $12.3 million currently remains available.


                                       3
<PAGE>



                 APPLEBEE'S INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                       CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS
                                   (Unaudited)
                    (in thousands, except per share amounts)

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                                                                 13 Weeks Ended
                                                                         -------------------------------
                                                                           March 31,          April 1,
                                                                             2002               2001
                                                                         -------------     -------------
<S>                                                                       <C>               <C>
       Revenues:
            Company restaurant sales................................       $ 174,973         $ 160,143
            Franchise income........................................          24,840            22,234
                                                                         -------------     -------------
               Total operating revenues.............................         199,813           182,377
                                                                         -------------     -------------
       Cost of Company restaurant sales:
            Food and beverage.......................................          47,407            43,305
            Labor...................................................          57,457            50,900
            Direct and occupancy....................................          42,872            40,759
            Pre-opening expense.....................................             335               135
                                                                         -------------     -------------
               Total cost of Company restaurant sales...............         148,071           135,099
                                                                         -------------     -------------
       General and administrative expenses..........................          19,246            17,166
       Amortization of intangible assets............................             138             1,463
       Loss on disposition of restaurants and equipment.............             294               187
                                                                         -------------     -------------
       Operating earnings...........................................          32,064            28,462
                                                                         -------------     -------------
       Other income (expense):
            Investment income.......................................             397               357
            Interest expense........................................            (633)           (2,357)
            Other income............................................             101                90
                                                                         -------------     -------------
               Total other expense..................................            (135)           (1,910)
                                                                         -------------     -------------
       Earnings before income taxes.................................          31,929            26,552
       Income taxes.................................................          11,654             9,771
                                                                         -------------     -------------
       Net earnings.................................................       $  20,275         $  16,781
                                                                         =============     =============

       Basic net earnings per common share (a)......................       $    0.54         $    0.45
                                                                         =============     =============
       Diluted net earnings per common share (a)....................       $    0.53         $    0.45
                                                                         =============     =============

       Basic weighted average shares outstanding (a)................          37,252            37,116
                                                                         =============     =============
       Diluted weighted average shares outstanding (a)..............          38,218            37,628
                                                                         =============     =============

</TABLE>

(a)   All  earnings per share and  weighted average  share information  reflects
      a three-for-two stock split effective at the close of business on June 12,
      2001.

                                       4

<PAGE>



The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated,  information  derived
from the Company's consolidated statements of earnings expressed as a percentage
of total operating revenues,  except where otherwise noted.  Percentages may not
add due to rounding.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                                                                    13 Weeks Ended
                                                                           ---------------------------------
                                                                              March 31,         April 1,
                                                                                2002              2001
                                                                           ---------------   ---------------
<S>                                                                            <C>               <C>
        Revenues:
             Company restaurant sales....................................        87.6%             87.8%
             Franchise income............................................        12.4              12.2
                                                                           ---------------   ---------------
                Total operating revenues.................................       100.0%            100.0%
                                                                           ===============   ===============
        Cost of sales (as a percentage of Company restaurant sales):
             Food and beverage...........................................        27.1%             27.0%
             Labor.......................................................        32.8              31.8
             Direct and occupancy........................................        24.5              25.5
             Pre-opening expense.........................................         0.2               0.1
                                                                           ---------------   ---------------
                Total cost of sales......................................        84.6%             84.4%
                                                                           ===============   ===============

        General and administrative expenses..............................         9.6%              9.4%
        Amortization of intangible assets................................         0.1               0.8
        Loss on disposition of restaurants and equipment.................         0.1               0.1
                                                                           ---------------   ---------------
        Operating earnings...............................................        16.0              15.6
                                                                           ---------------   ---------------
        Other income (expense):
             Investment income...........................................         0.2               0.2
             Interest expense............................................        (0.3)             (1.3)
             Other income................................................         0.1                --
                                                                           ---------------   ---------------
                Total other expense......................................        (0.1)             (1.0)
                                                                           ---------------   ---------------
        Earnings before income taxes.....................................        16.0              14.6
        Income taxes.....................................................         5.8               5.4
                                                                           ---------------   ---------------
        Net earnings.....................................................        10.1%              9.2%
                                                                           ===============   ===============

</TABLE>


                                       5




<PAGE>

Item 9.           Regulation FD Disclosure

     Applebee's   International,  Inc. (the  "Company") also  included  guidance
regarding its business outlook in the press release. These comments are included
below.


BUSINESS OUTLOOK

The company also updated its guidance as to its business outlook for fiscal year
2002.

o    System-wide  comparable  sales are now  expected  to increase by at least 2
     percent for the remainder of 2002.

o    As of March 31, 2002, the company had total  long-term debt  outstanding of
     $55 million,  reflecting payments of $20 million during the quarter.  Based
     on current interest rates and debt levels, interest expense for 2002 is now
     expected to be approximately $2.5 million for the year.

o    Consistent with current consensus analyst  estimates,  diluted earnings per
     share for fiscal year 2002 are now  expected to be in the range of $2.11 to
     $2.15, excluding any impact of additional stock repurchases.

A  conference  call to review the first  quarter  2002  results  and the current
business outlook will be held on Thursday morning, April 25, 2002, at 10:00 a.m.
Central Time (11:00 a.m.  Eastern Time).  The conference  call will be broadcast
live over the Internet and a replay will be available  shortly after the call on
the Investor Relations section of the company's website (www.applebees.com).

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 1,407 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).

The  statements  contained in the Business  Outlook  section of this release are
forward looking and based on current  expectations.  There are several risks and
uncertainties  that could cause actual results to differ  materially  from those
described,  including  but not  limited to the  ability of the  company  and its
franchisees to open and operate additional restaurants profitably, the continued
growth of its  franchisees  and its  ability  to attract  and  retain  qualified
franchisees,  the impact of intense  competition in the casual dining segment of
the restaurant  industry,  and its ability to control restaurant operating costs
which are impacted by market changes,  minimum wage and other  employment  laws,
food costs and  inflation.  For additional  discussion of the principal  factors
that could  cause  actual  results  to be  materially  different,  the reader is
referred to the company's  current  report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities
and  Exchange  Commission  on  February  13,  2002.  The company  disclaims  any
obligation to update these forward-looking statements.


                                      # # #



                                       6
<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 24, 2002                 By:   /s/  Steven K. Lumpkin
         ---------------------                 ------------------------
                                               Steven K. Lumpkin
                                               Executive Vice President and
                                               Chief Financial Officer



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