There is a rule of thumb to follow when doing interviews for articles. Usually the publishing company you work for will always subsidize the cost of coffee or food which means that you need not worry about picking up the tab.
You, as the writer needs information from another person who is particularly "mavenized" in the subject matter you need to research on. Thus, the interview forms part of the publishing company's operational costs. If an interviewer is kind enough to be the one to treat, insist that your company will cover the cost. If he or she still wants to answer for the bill then ask for the receipt which you can liquidate. You can then ask your office to write a cheque out for him when you give a copy of the magazine article. Cheques are easier to accept than a cash reimbursement.
But what about the rare times that your company has no money to subsidize your interview cost? Well then, my frien, the task at hand is to extract information, not to grab the best cup of coffee. You should still opt to treat your interviewee out in a comfortable yet budget friendly place and hope your editor changes his or her mind about the reimbursements. They usually do anyway, if it was for work. The budget always allows, if not now then maybe in the next month.
