Here’s one you’ve never heard: What do you call a food court that charges $20 for a sandwich? I’ll give you one guess.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way…the price tag on Proper Eats Food Hall, though high, comes with a lot of benefits, especially for someone who has a computer, a playlist full of dark pop music, and no job to be getting back to anytime soon.
So, you know, a writer.
Atmosphere
As a species, writers like to people-watch, and I’m no exception. So imagine my joy when I arrive at Proper Eats on a Thursday noontime to find it packed with a) tourists and b) a bunch of power-lunching convention bros. Because of the crowds I couldn’t get a table, but there was tons of bar-type seating all over, which was a perfect place for a gal and her computer to post up.
It quieted down a bit after the lunch hour, but there was still plenty of background noise and activity to keep me entertained and energized, not to mention allowing me to blend in and bang away on my keyboard without feeling weird or conspicuous.
Also–and this will be the only time I ever say this–but in this one situation, the presence of the convention bros helped me more than tourists did. All their besuited, name-taggy hustle and bustle made me and my computer feel much more at home than I would have without it. So, thanks, convention bros!
Food and Drink
Someone I really loved about Proper Eats was the ordering system. Like any good food hall/court, Proper Eats has roughly a half-dozen different cuisines available. Unlike your traditional food court, items from any or all of them can be purchased through one centralized hub. You place your order either at your seat using a QR code on your phone, or via the self-serve kiosk. They text you when it’s ready, and you go grab it (my order took about 2 minutes–no exaggeration). If you’ve been through the Minneapolis airport (or, I imagine, any air travel hub that has post-pandemic modern restaurants), it’s a similar idea. For my purposes, it meant I didn’t have to worry about taking up a server’s time or attention when all I wanted to do was get some work done. I did still leave a tip though. I’m anti-social, not a monster.
On this occasion, I opted for the Signature Seoul Chicken Sandwich (pictured above).
Here’s the thing: I’m always going to complain about a sandwich that costs north of $16 ($20 with tax and tip), no matter how good it is. And make no mistake–this sandwich was DELICIOUS. The sauce was perfectly balanced between sweet and savory and the double-fried chicken held up to it beautifully without losing any–and I mean ANY–crunch.
I did make a tactical error in that I didn’t start eating it right away (I was in the middle of a chapter in Sparks Will Fly by Victoria Kaer and I wanted to finish it before I dug in). This allowed the sauce to soak into the bun a little bit more than was ideal. Was it the most difficult sandwich I’ve ever eaten? No. But it was very sticky. Lucky for me I’d chosen a spot right next to a napkin dispenser because I must have used about twenty. Next time I will either eat faster or (more likely) bring wet naps to help with cleanup.
How Did The Writing Go?
Once I finished my sandwich and scraped all traces of sticky Seoul goodness off my fingers…it went pretty well. In fact, of all the places I’ve visited for this blog series, I think Proper Eats is where I’ve been my most productive. I put my headphones on, got into a groove, and before I knew it I’d lost an hour and gained about twelve hundred words on my WIP. If my computer hadn’t been able to die, I probably would have kept going. It was great.
Final Thoughts on Proper Eats
Proper Eats Food Hall may be little more than a premium-priced food court, but I’m not gonna fault them too much for that. Yes, $16 is a bit much for a self-serve sandwich that doesn’t even come with a side or a drink. But that’s not the only thing on the menu. There are more expensive plates sure, but there are cheaper items as well. If you want to order a fountain drink ($6) and sit there for hours, who’s going to stop you? Not me, and probably not anyone at Proper Eats.
Reasonable people can disagree on whether or not this is a good direction for fast-casual dining to take. All I can say is I’m happy to have found a place I can go be among people while remaining totally anonymous, and I am excited to repeat the experience.
You know, Proper Eats isn’t the only food hall in Vegas. Hmmm…I think have some more exploring to do.
Proper Eats Food Hall is located on the second floor of the Aria Resort and Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard. For more information, visit https://www.propereatslasvegas.com/.
