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 28, 2003
                                                --------------------------------

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)




<PAGE>



Item 9.           Regulation FD Disclosure

     On February 28, 2003, Applebee's  International, Inc.(the "Company") issued
a press  release  entitled  "Applebee's International to Present  at the Raymond
James Institutional Investors Conference."  The press release is included below.



                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

                   Applebee's International to Present at the
                Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference

Overland  Park,  Kan.,  February  28,  2003 --  Applebee's  International,  Inc.
(Nasdaq:APPB)  will be presenting at the Raymond James  Institutional  Investors
Conference to be held in Orlando on Tuesday, March 4, 2003, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern
Time.  A webcast of this  presentation  will be  available  over the Internet at
http://customer.nvglb.com/RaymondJames/Institutional/ and will also be available
at the Investor Relations section of the company's website  (www.applebees.com).
The archived webcast will be available through April 1, 2003.

Applebee's International,  Inc., headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., develops,
franchises and operates  restaurants under the Applebee's  Neighborhood  Grill &
Bar brand,  the largest casual dining concept in the world.  There are currently
1,509  Applebee's  restaurants  operating  system-wide  in 49  states  and  nine
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 28, 2003                  By:/s/ Steven K. Lumpkin
         ---------------------                 ---------------------
                                               Steven K. Lumpkin
                                               Executive Vice President and
                                               Chief Financial Officer



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