5 Morris County Restaurants We Were Sad To See Go In 2022

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — It's been a long year. Sadly, we lost a number of excellent, long-running restaurants in Morris County throughout 2022.

Staples of many communities shut down for a variety of reasons, including retirement, inflation, or simply wanting something different.

Here are five fantastic eateries that we sadly had to part ways with in the past year.

Little Food Inn restaurant:

The Little Food Inn restaurant, which is located on the Newark Pompton Turnpike in Pompton Plains, served comfort food favorites such as chicken soup, sandwiches and meatloaf, among dozens of other popular options.

After operating for more than ten years, the restaurant closed, with the owners citing changes in the industry as the cause.

The Sparta Classic Diner:

The Sparta Classic Diner, located at 80 Woodport Road, in Sparta, caught on fire earlier this year, damaging the restaurant. The fire severely damaged areas of the restaurant, forcing it to "temporarily close" in July, but the diner has yet to reopen.

“Due to [the] fire, our restaurant will remain closed temporarily. Please visit back soon for updates,” the diner’s website still reads.

A potential reopening date has not been made public, and the company's final social media post was made shortly after the fire stating that the eatery will remain closed temporarily.

Bareburger:

The restaurant chain, Bareburger, which specializes in organic burgers and has plenty of vegan options, closed down its Morristown location only a few years after opening.

Bareburger opened its first and only in Morris County eatery in November 2019 at 11 South Street. It wasn't immediately made publicly clear why the Morristown restaurant closed. Patch sent a press inquiry to Bareburger but was given no response.

The since-closed eatery has been replaced by the brand-new pizzeria Coniglio's Old Fashioned.

Mara’s Café & Bakery

Mara’s Café & Bakery recently sold its final desserts at the Denville location. The longtime eatery closed permanently this year after nearly twenty years in business.

The bakery was originally set to close down in 2018 following some financial hardships. But ownership shifted to Allison Kohler, who revitalized Mara's. However, the business announced plans in July to close.

Howard Johnson's Restaurants

The Parsippany-headquartered Howard Johnson closed its final restaurant in the nation, shutting the doors of the Lake George, New York, establishment.

The historic business, which became the nation's largest restaurant chain in the 1960s and 70s, with more than 1,000 restaurants stopped operation over the last few years.

Howard Johnson was known for their iconic and classic 28 flavors.

You know what they say: great loss brings great opportunity, and a slew of new restaurants are joining the Morristown community. Check out Patch's list of new businesses that will open in 2023.

Are there any other businesses you were sad to see leave the neighborhood in 2022? Let Patch know!