While it was once the norm to visit your local for a pint after work on a Friday night, some landlords suggest this is becoming a thing of the past.

In towns like Snodland, which was left with just one pub after the Monk's Head closed its doors earlier this year, and Chartham, where all but two of its previous eight pubs have shut for good, the change in pub culture is certainly clear.

Just recently John Brice, landlord of the King George V in Brompton, announced that his pub would be closing its doors on New Year's Eve.

The Wig and Crown in Spital Street, Dartford, is also having a final send-off on New Year's Eve, with its managers saying the cost of living has hit business harder than during the pandemic.

Back in September, Stodmarsh residents were left shocked as their local haunt, The Red Lion, was suddenly boarded up.

So what is causing this cultural shift? Three landlords told KentOnline how they think their pubs have survived when so many have not.

Holly Millin, The Artichoke, Chartham

Holly Millin is the landlady of The Artichoke in Chartham, near Canterbury. The 39-year-old took over the Shepherd Neame pub last November, having previously held managerial positions at Kent hostelries The Limes, Ye Olde Beverlie, and The Parrot.

She said the village used to have eight pubs, but now it is down to just two - The Artichoke and The Local - and the rest have been turned into houses.

Holly said she is not concerned about the competition, however, adding: "The good thing is, myself and the other pub in the village have very different offerings. We are a Shepherd Neame, in a 750-year-old pub. It's a really traditional, cosy village pub.

"The Local is a freehouse. It shows a lot of sports. The owners are Indian so their menu features a lot of lovely Indian dishes, whereas our menu is mainly English pub classics.

"The fact that we're both so different means there's no competition in prices, either, because we serve such different things."

She used the example of Sandwich, where there are 15 pubs, many in "constant battle" with their prices to avoid being more expensive than their competitors, as they have very similar things to offer.

She continued: "I am quite lucky, we get quite regular trade here, but things have changed a lot. The main thing we've noticed is weekday lunches used to be a lot busier.

"Now, pensioners especially can't afford to come out. We would have regulars who would come in for lunch two or so times a week, now they're only here once a month."

She has also been putting on events to keep people visiting the pub, saying: "We do pub quizzes every Thursday. We also have live music and events, and we do a set menu, so the cheaper meals might bring people in."

She said it does worry her that people are using pubs less because the prices of everything at home have increased, adding: "I have friends who are hairdressers and personal trainers. When bills go up, spending on luxuries goes down, and things like that are the first costs to get cut out of people's budgets.

"Pub bills have gone up, but I am very lucky in Chartham. There's such a strong community presence. If you put on events, you do get the community rally behind you and show up."

Another change Holly has noticed is during bank holidays. She said: "Before the pandemic, on bank holiday weekends you would get that extra day's trade, but every publican will probably tell you now - people used to go out all four days, now they pick just one day.

"So if you put on a bank holiday event for one day, the days before and after will lose a lot of custom. We noticed it with the weekend of the Queen's jubilee."

Holly said that the main change that she has noticed since the pandemic, which has been causing big problems for her small business, is that people rarely book in. She said: "We used to be fully booked on weekends before the pandemic, now we get maybe one booking, but we end up serving around 20 tables because of walk-ins.

"We cater for bookings, so if people book we're going to be prepared for that many people to show up. I think people don't realise the helpfulness of booking in advance, or even just a quick phone call to let us know you're coming.

"Recently we had a group of around 40 people walk in without calling ahead, and a small business like ours just doesn't have the means to be prepared for that without warning, and it means that people who have booked, might not get the service you want them to get."

Ryder Gilronan, The White Horse, Chilham

Ryder Gilronan has been the landlord at The White Horse in Chilham, between Canterbury and Ashford, for nine years.

The village once had seven pubs, but is now down to just two.

The pub had had a succession of landlords in a short space of time when Ryder took over, which he said had caused the pub to suffer.

He added: "I decided that I wanted to ensure it stayed as a pub, rather than risk it being sidelined as an untenable business proposition and being sold as a residential property."

He averages 70 hours a week to make sure the pub "retains its previous and rightful stature as one of the best pubs in Kent".

He said he has seen many pubs close since he began at the Chilham pub nearly a decade ago, and many landlords come and go.

He continued: "The turnover of landlords and managers is indicative of how difficult it is to make ends meet. The fact that places still shut, regardless of the amount of people willing to try to make these places work, speaks for itself."

He also believes the pandemic has had a "lasting impact" on the pub industry, adding: "During the Covid crisis, I feel people became more conditioned into staying at home, and that community habits such as visiting the pub to catch up with friends suffered significantly, and things have not reverted to how they were before.

"This has not only hurt the pub trade but also hurt communities."

The 46-year-old suggested another reason for the change in pub culture - many people now commute to London and are simply too tired to go to their local for a pint after work. He said: "I feel that increasingly, small villages are losing the sense of community that once defined them.

"Commuters leave at 5am and get back at 7.30pm and they are exhausted and unlikely to want to socialise.

"Many of the houses in the area are also second homes or holiday lets, and this impacts any stable sense of community. It encourages a transient aspect to the village that never used to exist."

He added that village pubs are "crucial in trying to hold back the increasing fracturing of small communities".

"Village pubs ought to be invested in the community they serve and this helps to encourage the community to invest in the pub", he continued.

The White Horse offers several regular events, including a quiz night on the last Thursday of every month, and an open mic night on the last Saturday of every month.

It also features regular live acts, including Canterbury Blues, Boogie & Rock 'n Roll Club and the Chartham String Band.

On the idea of competition with other pubs, Ryder said: "I feel strongly that pubs that are close to one another ought to bolster and support one another as much as they are able to."

The 46-year-old continued: "We are an ancient country pub, and we draw strength from that lineage. I do feel that my pub offers a unique experience no other establishments offer."

Charmain Powell, The Portobello Inn, West Kingsdown

Charmain Powell runs the Portobello Inn with her husband Steve in West Kingsdown, in Sevenoaks.

West Kingsdown has just two pubs, and the Sevenoaks area has seen many pubs suffer the strain of the industry change in recent years.

The couple enlist the help of their two children, Leo, 10, and Lexie, 13, in what Charmain says is "very much a family run business".

The family have been at the pub for just over six years, and Charmain says the dynamic has changed a lot since the pandemic.

She said: "We sell a lot of food now, which has kept us going. Being a wet pub only, just wouldn't have kept us going. There's been a lot of change since coronavirus, it's been difficult.

"With the increase in bills in the last year it's been scary. I can see why a lot of pubs are shutting. We're still quite busy and we have a good customer base here, and a great community.

"But even though we are doing fine, I would start to panic if it was quiet for more than a few weeks. We have always had to watch out, and we've been putting on events to keep people coming in.

"People don't just go out for a pint without a reason anymore."

The 33-year-old said more than ever, they have had to try new things to bring in trade. She said: "It's a knock-on of coronavirus, people were scared to come out after the pandemic and now with the cost of living people are tightening their belts.

"Communities need pubs. This is their social life, especially for older members of the community. It does affect a lot of people without family close by. People go to pubs to be with friends, and a warm and welcoming environment where people know them.

"This is some people's lives, you know? Pubs are the hub of the community for a small, close village."

She added that people will "only realise how much they need pubs once they're not there".

The mum-of-two continued: "To the pubs that are struggling, it's easy to lose heart in it, but keep pushing through and trying different things until something sticks."

But Charmain said that the struggle to keep up a business is not specific to pubs. She said: "Anybody who owns a business is struggling. It's frightening for what the future is going to hold. I want to keep my staff. No one wants to let staff go.

"We hire local people, too, it's a real community."

She said her husband Steve has to work an additional job on top of running the pubs just to make ends meet.

Having the children involved is certainly a boost for the publicans, however, as Charmain said: "The kids love helping out, and they bring their friends here often.

"It's our life, really. Running a pub is a lifestyle. We're here 24/7. We do sacrifice a lot of family time, but we have to be here, at the end of the day, and we all enjoy it."

So, what does this mean for the future of pubs?

John Brice, who as well as running the soon-to-close George V in Brompton, is chairman of the trade body for pub owners, the Licensed Victuallers' Association.

The landlord, who has been in the trade for 25 years, said rising fuel costs, "excessive business rates" and "huge hikes in beer prices" are also pushing many pubs to close their doors.

He said: "We had wonderful help throughout Covid but no help since, and the government announcing that it would freeze beer duty is like me giving you a penny to take home and put in your piggy bank.

"I think the pub is the heart of the community. It's probably the only place that villagers get together, and to lose a pub is a major tragedy and sadly I think I'm just one of many.

"I think that in the new year you'll find lots will be following my sad example and will be closing their doors for the last time."

He added: "The tradition of going to the pub has changed dramatically. You will have eating places and the big high street pubs that will recover because they're in places where people tend to have a drink after work and go out socially.

"But I think your normal, average backstreet boozer, your village pub is still going to suffer, and how the industry changes in that time I'm not really sure."