I think when you go to a sporting event you're not doing it because the beer and hot dogs are competitively priced.
My lazyboy is already paid for, I have executive rights to not one but 2 bathrooms and all the cheap beer I can get from Coscos. Yet I still go to games because it's more fun to scream at the refs with 15K other Greenbleeders. The $9 beer and $8 pizza slice doesn't stop me from enjoying the game with my 15k friends. I can't imagine how long those lines would be for food and bathroom if they cut prices to be reasonable.
No, but some families have budgets. Maybe instead of skipping food all together, you get $25 out of a family of three. Or, a family with a $100 budget buys food and souvenirs, instead of being forced to choose.
I'm planning on going to a game in February and we've already talked about where we might go to eat before the game. The prospect of eating at the arena (aside from a beer and maybe a snack) is out of the question after the amount of money we spent on tickets and how high the prices are for food. If the prices were comparable to a regular restaurant in the area, it would be easier to just eat at the arena, instead we'll be spending elsewhere.
You've got a ton of options. What cheap and fast? Try the food court in North Station. The pizza place there is pretty creative.
If you want to eat in the area, most of the places right around the garden are bar food.
If you don't mind a few minutes walk, Government Center and the Financial District is 5-10 minutes. Tons of options (including Quincy Market, the only place more overpriced than the Garden).
Other stuff...
Once tried to bring in my own bottle of water and was turned away by security. So the next game, I just brought in an empty bottle and filled it in a sink. Why? Because they charge $5 for it at the concession stands.
I think a lot of the savings on the costs comes from having items priced in dollars, eliminating the need for change, and the self-service soda. I pay for everything with a credit card, so I was surprised to see how many people use cash at the concession stands. There's a lot of wasted time while the cashiers count out $.85. And I don't know what percentage of sales soda makes up, but it's a long(er) operation to fill one of those.
Oh, one last thing: the option to add a tip at concessions when I pay with a credit card? Talk about ridiculous...
Mike