Craften is a new concept: the variety of a food hall with the hospitality of a full-service restaurant.

Opened this month by co-founders Max Trujillo and Kip Downer, the Knightdale location is the first of two announced so far. The second will be in Clayton, a growing town in nearby Johnston County.

About the people: Max is a hospitality industry veteran and one of the hosts of the NC Food & Beverage podcast, while Kip is the owner of several Burn Boot Camp gyms in the Triangle area, including one next to Craften in Knightdale.

Why Knightdale: "My partner Kip already owned a building in Knightdale and had dreams of opening a food hall in Knightdale for years," Max said.

"But towns like Knightdale are where want to be. It’s where people live and that’s where we can create a great local neighborhood vibe."

We tried out the new concept to see how this new food hall idea works: [RaleighConvergence.com]

• The big picture: It's part of a regional strategic goal to attract new youth, collegiate, amateur and professional sporting events to the region. 
• The experts say: Visit Raleigh quotes Scott Dupree, executive director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, as saying it's "the one piece that has been missing in our sports venue inventory." 
• Made for esports: The center is planned with esports in mind as well as athletics. A portion of the competitive space could transform into a "4,000-seat arena for championship games, e-gaming tournaments, and non-athletic performances."
• The site is also news; the original location discussed was the former Cary Towne Center, which was purchased by Epic Games for its new global headquarters. This location will be close to the I-40 and I-440 near Cary Crossroads on Buck Jones Road.