(Reuters) - Dine Brands Global Inc’s IHOP pancake house chain said on Thursday it plans to hire 10,000 employees, as the U.S. economic recovery from the pandemic-driven slump pushes restaurants to hire more workers to keep pace with renewed demand. Fast-food companies and some other restaurant chains have seen sales rise as the weather turns warmer, limits on dining room capacities lifted, and people using stimulus checks to eat out. However, the pace of hiring is slow compared to the booming demand. The U.S. restaurant industry in March was about 1.2 million employees short from the same month in 2020, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. IHOP said it would look to fill part-time and full-time roles across its over 1,600 U.S. restaurants. “With the country reopening and states lifting mandates, we see a restaurant renaissance on the horizon,” IHOP President Jay Johns said. Taco Bell, part of Yum Brands Inc, said earlier this week it would hire at least 5,000 workers at an April job fair, while McDonald’s Corp franchisees are aiming to recruit 5,000 employees just in the state of Ohio, according to local media reports in late March.