Fast food giant Taco Bell is ramping up hiring amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The company announced today that it will be hiring 30,000 workers this summer to ensure smooth operations with its drive-thru, delivery, curbside pick-up and mobile app orders.

Taco Bell, along with its franchisees, will be hiring both full-time and part-time employees at all levels at the company. New roles have also been created to accommodate a shift in operations in response to the global pandemic.

“During these tough times, we want job-seekers to know that we’re hiring and we’re safe,” Taco Bell Chief People Officer Kelly McColloch said in a statement Thursday. “We work closely with our franchisees to ensure that we’re meeting the needs of our restaurant teams. Their safety and wellbeing remain our first priority. With this new hiring wave, we look forward to expanding our Taco Bell family and providing great, safe jobs to even more people.”

Much like the broader restaurant industry, Taco Bell shut down its dining rooms in the U.S. in mid-March in compliance with shelter-in-place orders. During that time, 95% of Taco Bell stores were operating strictly with drive-thru, pick-up and delivery.

Taco Bell employees are required to have their temperature checked before coming in contact with food or equipment and are provided gloves and masks.

The fast food chain’s hiring spree comes amid historic unemployment in the U.S. caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past nine weeks, approximately 38.6 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits, and the unemployment rate in April surged to 14.7%.

Americans are being laid off or furloughed at a rapid clip, but according to fast food chains like Taco Bell, sales have started to steadily improve as states across the country start reopening their economies.

At the end of April, Yum Brands reported that even though same-store sales decreased at its KFC and Pizza Hut brands, Taco Bell saw same-store sales increase by 1% during its first quarter. There are more than 7,000 Taco Bell stores worldwide.

—

Heidi Chung is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @heidi_chung.

More from Heidi:

• Jobless claims: Another 2.438 million Americans file for unemployment benefits

• Probability of US restaurants defaulting soars amid COVID-19 pandemic: Report

• 47% of people will visit restaurants 'as soon as they reopen:' Piper Sandler

Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance news

Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard, LinkedIn, and reddit.