I believe that East Side's is ingrained in Canadian culture almost to the extent that Swiss Chalet is. I have been going to various East Side's for years and have seen a bit of an evolution.
For the longest time they have had a menu that rarely changed. I went for the first time in a while and noticed that they now have a separate lunch menu (for faster serving times and smaller lunch portions). I've also noticed they are adding new items while keeping the staples (like create your own pasta and chicken tetrazini) on the menu. I have noticed the prices creep up, and the AYCE salad and bread comes with fewer items.
We had a large group last time I was in (15+ people), and our server did a good job of keeping us satisfied. The meals came out in a timely manner and came out together. Kudos to the whole staff.
One menu item that looks and smells absolutely amazing is the calamari. It comes served on a sizzling hot skillet mixed in with some peppers, tomatoes, and onions. I wasn't the one that ordered it, but I would recommend trying this out if you enjoy calamari.
One of the few drawbacks of this place (but I'm not sure if this is a permanent thing), is that our butter was not whipped.
I caution people who have never been to East Side's that this isn't authentic Italian food, so don't get your hopes up.
All things considered, this place is still one of the better places to stuff your face for relatively few dollars.