I've been to a few food halls...
My issue with them, at least with the really popular/crowded ones, is that you aren't guaranteed a seat. They really are indeed glorified food courts. You line up at a place, get your food, and then you have to navigate finding an available seat/table, or are forced to sit near the restrooms or something, or there's nowhere to sit. And then there are the people or families that put their jackets on several chairs ("These seats are taken") or people just hanging out at tables not even eating.
It's not like the Spring Arcade in downtown Los Angeles, where it's actually a row of restaurants/eateries, each with their own seating and table service within the restaurant itself and/or in the hallway: