Bye bye East Side... looks like this chain is in freefall. After a terrible Take Out experience a few months ago (based on under training and under staffing) we went in for supper.
First, they have killed their Coca-Cola deal for one with Pepsi. Never a good idea to give up the Number One Supplier for the Number Two - looks like Pepsi gave them a great loss leader deal just to stiff Coke, knowing that it won't last long, so it won't cost them that much.
Second, portion size is slashed by at least half on the lasagna (you can have the second half back for an extra $5 - basically taking the cost of the original size meal up by over a third).
Third, the taste is off. Using cheaper ingredients and less skilled staff can do that.
Fourth, table service was terrible. So that's take out service and table service that have taken a bad hit.
All of this points to a desperate dive to the bottom, slashing costs and portion size and service level to an totally unacceptable level, to try to stay alive.
Bye Bye East Side, it was good while it lasted but we done now.
R.I.P.