Chipotle Restaurants to Temporarily Close for Safety Meeting

Restaurants will close for part of Feb. 8.

— -- After a dismal 2015 marked by multiple food-borne outbreaks, the Chipotle restaurant chain has announced it plans to temporarily shutter all restaurants to discuss food safety changes with employees.

"We are hosting a national team meeting to thank our employees for their hard work through this difficult time, discuss some of the food safety changes we are implementing, and answer questions from employees," Arnold told ABC News in an email.

Company officials announced they started to implement new safety measures last year to ensure food safety and handling. These steps include testing fresh produce with DNA-based tests, end-of-shelf-life testing to ensure ingredients are safe throughout their shelf life, while also looking to improve the supply chain by measuring performance data of vendors and suppliers, and enhancing employee training in food safety and handling.