------------------------------ OMB APPROVAL ------------------------------ OMB Number 3235-0287 Expires: April 30, 1998 Estimated average burden hours per response ....... 0.5 ------------------------------ U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 4 STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 [ ] Check this box if no longer subject of Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b). ================================================================================ 1. Name and Address of Reporting Perso Belton Erline -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Last) (First) (Middle) Applebee's International, Inc. 4551 W. 107th Street, Suite 100 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Street) Overland Park KS 66207 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (City) (State) (Zip) ================================================================================ 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol Applebee's International, Inc. - APPB ================================================================================ 3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary) ================================================================================ 4. Statement for Month/Day/Year 01/02/03 ================================================================================ 5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Year) N/A ================================================================================ 6. Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer (Check all applicable) [ X ] Director [ ] 10% Owner [ ] Officer (give title below) [ ] Other (specify below) ----------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================================================ Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned ================================================================================ 6. 4. 5. Owner- Securities Acquired (A) or Amount of ship 3. Disposed of (D) Securities Form: 7. Transaction (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) Beneficially Direct Nature of 2. Code ------------------------------- Owned at End (D) or Indirect 1. Transaction (Instr. 8) (A) of Month Indirect Beneficial Title of Security Date ------------ Amount or Price (Instr. 3 (I) Ownership (Instr. 3) (mm/dd/yy) Code V (D) and 4) (Instr.4) (Instr. 4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock 2,700 (1) D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ==================================================================================================================================== Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly Explanation of Responses: (1) Reflects 3 for 2 stock splits on 06/12/01 and 06/11/02. FORM 4 (continued) Table II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities) ================================================================================ 9. 10. Number Owner- of ship 2. Deriv- of Conver- 5. 7. ative Deriv- 11. sion Number of Title and Amount Secur- ative Nature or Derivative 6. of Underlying 8. ities Secur- of Exer- 4. Securities Date Securities Price Bene- ity: In- cise 3. Trans- Acquired (A) Exercisable and (Instr. 3 and 4) of ficially Direct direct Price Trans- action or Disposed Expiration Date ---------------- Deriv- Owned (D) or Bene- 1. of action Code of(D) (Month/Day/Year) Amount ative at End In- ficial Title of Deriv- Date (Instr. (Instr. 3, ---------------- or Secur- of direct Owner- Derivative ative (Month/ 8) 4 and 5) Date Expira- Number ity Month (I) ship Security Secur- Day/ ------ ------------ Exer- tion of (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. (Instr. 3) ity Year) T V (A) (D) cisable Date Title Shares 5) 4) 4) 4) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Common Stock Common (Right to Buy) 24.3800 01/02/03 A 13,500 01/02/04 01/02/13 Stock 13,500 13,500 D ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ==================================================================================================================================== Explanation of Responses: /s/Erline Belton January 6, 2003 --------------------------------------------- ----------------------- **Signature of Reporting Person Date ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedures.