Sparta restaurant can't survive downtown Newark construction

NEWARK — Even when the Sparta restaurant in downtown Newark wasn’t packed, it was always full of goodwill. But the restaurant was dark and empty Friday. All was quiet, except for the dull buzz of the Sparta’s mostly burnt-out neon sign and the routine beep of a backhoe from the ongoing street construction nearby. A few rogue twinkle lights shone in the window, but their glow was overtaken by a large white sign posted on the door, informing customers that the Sparta had closed.