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) March 23, 2004 -------------------------------- 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) Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure On March 23, 2004, Applebee's International, Inc. (the "Company") issued a press release entitled " Applebee's International to Present at the Banc of America Securities Consumer Conference." The press release is included below. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Carol DiRaimo, Vice President of Investor Relations (913) 967-4109 Applebee's International to Present at the Banc of America Securities Consumer Conference Overland Park, Kan., March 23, 2004 -- Applebee's International, Inc. (Nasdaq:APPB) will be presenting at the Banc of America Securities Consumer Conference to be held in New York City on Tuesday, March 30, 2004, at 8:50 a.m. Eastern Time. A webcast of this presentation will be available over the Internet at http://www.veracast.com/webcasts/bas/consumer-2004/id24104235.cfm 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 two weeks following the presentation. 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 1,598 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). # # # 2 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: March 23, 2004 By:/s/ Steven K. Lumpkin --------------------- --------------------- Steven K. Lumpkin Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 3