How Chipotle’s past food crises prepared it for the COVID-19 outbreak

Chipotle Mexican Grill is faring relatively well during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has its traumatic food safety scandals from a few years ago in part to thank.

In 2015, the fast-casual burrito chain dealt with an E. coli outbreak, followed by other food safety problems, that decimated its business for a long time; comparable sales fell by one-fifth the following year.

To win back customers, Chipotle changed how it prepared food—practices that inadvertently readied it for the current pandemic. The protocols included washing hands between every task, putting hand sanitizer at the door, and changing air filtration systems, measures prescribed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as local health authorities, for the current crisis.

“We already had a well-being and a food safety culture in place,” Chipotle chief executive Brian Niccol tells Fortune. Chipotle has also added measures to ensure social distancing, among other newer moves.