Yoshinoya America Inc., famous for the original Beef Bowl®, and EcoTek Lighting jointly announced today that the Yoshinoya America Inc. will be installing energy efficient, high performance Menu Boards with LED illumination in its new store to help save the environment. The innovative Direct Backlit LED Array menu boards, manufactured by EcoTek Lighting in Lake Forest, CA, deliver extraordinary illumination levels and cutting-edge energy efficiency by incorporating powerful solid-state LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology. The first Yoshinoya store with the innovative LED menu boards opened at 3081 North San Fernando Road, Los Angeles, California in August, 2009.

LED illuminated menu boards typically provide 55% greater energy efficiency than fluorescent menu boards and enable users to qualify for energy and tax rebates. EcoTek’s Direct Backlit LED Array technology refers to the process of fully illuminating the graphics from the back using an evenly distributed array of LEDs. This delivers brighter, more evenly distributed illumination of the menu board graphics, while requiring a fraction of the energy required by fluorescent lighting.

Because they use LED illumination instead of fluorescent lamps, Yoshinoya USA’s Menu Boards from EcoTek Lighting are 50% to 60% more energy-efficient and last up to seven times longer than those using T-8 fluorescent lamps. The longer life span, lower maintenance levels and extreme durability of LEDs reduces CO2 emissions, influences the associated carbon footprint and helps protect the environment to ensure a stable climate for future generations.