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) December 12, 2002
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Commission File Number: 000-17962
Applebee's International, Inc.
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 43-1461763
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(State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
incorporation or organization)
4551 W. 107th Street, Suite 100, Overland Park, Kansas 66207
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(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)
(913) 967-4000
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(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
None
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(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
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Item 5. Other Events
On December 12, 2002, Applebee's International, Inc. (the "Company") issued a
press release entitled "Applebee's International Announces Executive Changes."
The press release contained the following information.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Investor Relations: Carol DiRaimo, (913) 967-4109
Media Relations: Laurie Ellison, (913) 967-2718
Applebee's International Announces Executive Changes
Overland Park, Kan., Dec. 12, 2002 -- Applebee's International, Inc.
(Nasdaq:APPB) today announced that George D. Shadid, chief operating officer,
has decided to leave the company effective Jan. 12, 2003, but will remain on the
company's board of directors. Shadid joined the company as chief financial
officer in 1992 and was promoted to chief operating officer in early 2002.
Shadid has served on the company's board of directors since 1999.
Lloyd L. Hill, chairman and chief executive officer said, "We appreciate
George's dedication and many contributions to Applebee's. The decision to leave
Applebee's comes after much reflection on George's part as to what was important
to him and his family. George was an important part of seeing our company
through the past 10 years of unprecedented growth, when we added nearly 1,300
restaurants and became the most dominant brand in casual dining. With George's
departure, we are fortunate to have in place today a very strong and capable
operations team focused on the many opportunities ahead."
The company also announced the promotion of David L. Goebel to the new position
of executive vice president of operations. Goebel joined the company in early
2001 as senior vice president of franchise operations. In his new capacity,
Goebel will oversee all aspects of restaurant operations for more than 1,450
domestic Applebee's restaurants, including franchise operations, company
operations, training and operations excellence initiatives.
Hill continued, "I am happy to have an executive of Dave's caliber who has such
a deep understanding of restaurant operations and our franchise community. Dave
enjoys the confidence, support and respect of our franchise partners. Together
with Carin Stutz, our senior vice president of company operations, the two have
over 50 years of restaurant experience. Dave has been instrumental in the
development and rollout of our To Go initiative, which is meeting with early
success in the marketplace. I look forward to working directly with Dave as we
continue the execution of our operations excellence strategies."
-more-
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Goebel has more than 30 years of general management experience, including 22
years in the restaurant industry, encompassing management and executive
positions with a number of casual dining concepts.
Hill concluded, "My confidence about the future of Applebee's has never been
higher. Our operations team has been in place over the past two years, and has
performed well. George's many significant contributions will be missed. In
addition to George, much of our success is attributable to Dave's and Carin's
operations expertise. We look forward to continuing our strategy of operations
excellence under their capable leadership. The board and I remain committed to
developing the full range of our entire executive team for the future leadership
of Applebee's."
* * * * *
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
1,489 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).
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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: December 12, 2002 By: /s/ Steven K. Lumpkin
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Steven K. Lumpkin
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
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