McDonald’s is hiring 260,000 people in the US this summer

(CNN) — McDonald’s plans to hire 260,000 people this summer in the United States as it begins to resume normal operations.

The beefed-up staffing comes as it prepares to reopen its dining rooms after a majority of them were temporarily closed because of coronavirus. The positions are a mix of full- and part-time roles.

In May, McDonald’s laid out the new safety precautions it will use as it reopens its dining rooms. Notably, customers will see stickers on floors encouraging social distancing, blocked-off tables and the closure of its self-serve beverage bar. Employees have to wash their hands every hour and wear personal protective equipment.

Roughly 95% of its restaurants around the world have reopened in some capacity, and around 99% of its US restaurants have continued operating some services throughout the pandemic.

“We’ve put new minimum national standards and nearly 50 new processes in place in our restaurants as they continue to reopen safely and judiciously,” said Joe Erlinger, president of McDonald’s USA, in Thursday’s press release. The company employs around 850,000 people in the United States.

McDonald’s is experiencing a rebound in sales and demand. Its US sales fell 19% during the month of April compared with the same period in the year prior, but were down just 5% year-over-year in May. Those numbers include sales at all locations that have been operating for at least 13 months, even if the restaurants were temporarily closed during the pandemic.

Breakfast sales were particularly low, something executives lamented on the company’s quarterly earnings call in early May. Wendy’s, however, reported strong sales for its newly launched breakfast menu.