McDonald’s Corp. went on the offense yesterday against critics who complain that it’s a lousy place to work.

The world’s largest hamburger chain held its first National Hiring Day and was awarded with a strong response from job seekers on the mainland and in Hawaii. Thousands showed up at restaurants nationwide to apply for jobs mixing shakes and serving Happy Meals. The company planned to hire 50,000 new workers in one day, boosting its staff by about 7 percent.

McDonald’s painted the event as a boon for an economy where more than 13 million Americans are looking for work. But the real purpose, industry experts said, is that McDonald’s needs to portray itself as a decent employer.

That will be a challenge for a company whose name is often synonymous with "you-want-fries-with-that" jokes. "McJob" even has a place in The Oxford English Dictionary, defined as "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects."

But to people who need work, any stigma is beside the point.

McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii Inc. plans to add 1,000 people to its payroll through the National Hiring Day initiative, a nearly 22 percent increase in staffing. Of the local division’s 85 restaurants in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan, 75 are in Hawaii.

Managers at several stores reported being busy," continuously processing applications, doing interviews … and answering general questions, so our managers were very pleased with the kind of response they got," said Melanie Okazaki, marketing manager for McDonald’s in Hawaii.

Positions being offered range from part-time to full-time crew members and support staff, including everything from maintenance workers to managerial personnel. Starting pay for crew positions is generally slightly above minimum wage, "and it does depend on experience level, because sometimes we’ll take that into consideration, even more so on the managerial positions," she said. Managerial positions start "in the neighborhood of $28,000," depending on experience level, which island the restaurant is on, and other factors.

Positions at McDonald’s provide positive opportunities, Okazaki said, citing her own 30-plus years with the company. "I’m a testament to someone who loves their ‘McJob,’ " she said. "Lots of folks, in management, and franchisees, all are still pretty happy with the company and I think that speaks for itself."

The official time frame was 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., "but we accept applications throughout the year," she said. Hopefuls unable to make it to a restaurant yesterday still can fill out a paper application on-site or apply online.

McDonald’s and other fast-food chains, once an entry point into the work force for teenagers, appear to be turning into an employer of more adults, a legacy of the recession, industry watchers said.

The average age of a fast-food worker is 29.5, up from 22 in 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.