Croydon pubgoers are saving up their pint money for the weekend and spending less on weekdays as the cost of living crisis bites, local landlords have said.

Although there’s been a downturn in weekday visitors, there are hopes the World Cup will keep people coming through Croydon pub doors over the winter months.

Maria Emmett who runs The Golden Ark, a micropub in Selsdon, worries if customers coming in less often they will miss out on vital socialising.

Maria said it has become quieter at the start of the week as people save the money to come to the pub at weekends.

She added: “Pubs are normally a community hub, naturally they will be lonely at home if they can’t come in.”

While things are getting tougher for all hospitality businesses, the manager said she has no doubt The Golden Ark will remain open.

Maria said: “In general prices and energy bills are going up but we are not personally worried about having to close.

“We want to send  a message to people that we are open we are going to be open over Christmas and New Year.

"We want to be a pub that keeps people going and a place they can get together.”

Simon Griffiths has managed the Builders Arms in Croydon since the start of the Covid pandemic.

After an “incomparable” two years he thinks the true effects of the cost of living crisis will become clearer in the coming months.

He said: “We haven’t really noticed anything yet, November is always quite quiet in the build up to Christmas.

"We won’t really be able to tell until the end of December.”

Simon said the World Cup was likely to be good for business.

He added: “It is really difficult to compare anything with the last two years, it has been incomparable but we haven’t noticed as of yet.”

And the unseasonably warm winter has meant the pub has managed to put off turning the heating on which meaning the pub’s bills haven’t seen a huge spike yet.

Concerns about the future of hospitality businesses in the borough were raised back in August by Croydon Business Improvement District (BID).

Then, CEO Matthew Sims said: “The general feeling across the entire hospitality sector is one of serious concern about the future. They are trying to recover from the pandemic and are now faced with another crisis of higher energy bills.

"It is desperate for businesses of all types but particularly hospitality.”