Conte Forum Needs A Shake Shack

CNBC's Darren Rovell recently profiled famed restaurateur Danny Meyer and his uber successful Shake Shack restaurant at the Mets' Citi Field. Business has been so good that Meyer is looking to put his brands, including Shake Shack, El Verano, Blue Smoke and Box Frites, into more stadiums and arenas around the country.

Pro baseball has been good to the burger and custard joint, but Meyer is looking to expand into other sports:

"We're eager and excited to find an arena that has a pro basketball team and pro hockey team so that we can serve at a lot of games. That's why baseball is good for us. With baseball, there are 81 home games and 9 opportunities to get up from your seat and get food. With football, there are only eight games and one opportunity (halftime) to go get food, plus you have to account for the fact that tailgating plays a part."

[snip]

"We like that model," Meyer said. "We want our next ballpark to be in a city where we see an opportunity to grow."

Now I know Conte Forum houses neither a pro basketball team nor a pro hockey team. But it does lay claim to the National Championship Boston College men's hockey team, a program that led Hockey East in attendance last year and regularly ranks as one of the top ten in the country. And a men's basketball program on the rebound that hosts such teams like Duke, North Carolina and Syracuse (soon).

Between men's and women's basketball and men's and women's hockey, there's probably just as many events in a given year as you would find in any other dual-purpose, pro sports arena. Plus, isn't Boston as good a city as any to provide an opportunity to grow the franchise?

My humble suggestion to fix lagging men's basketball attendance? Shake Shack. Seriously. You'll think I'm crazy, but then you'll find yourself at the Mets' Citi Field one afternoon with a hankering for a frozen custard.

You can thank me later.