[the_rickster]

there's a ton of reasons:
i. some managers meet at a common location because it's easier to make judgement when they are not distracted (good business owners/managers will ALWAYS be aware of what is going on around them at the workplace, thus distracting them from the task at hand).
ii. it may be a courtesy thing for you too; instead of making you travel to some unfamiliar location, pay for parking, etc they meet you at a coffee shop of your choice.
iii. it's a little more casual, which seems to be the trend now.
iv. the manager might not have informed his staff of his intentions to hire, and he feels that it may disrupt their focus to see a bunch of candidates roll through the office.
v. if the manager is trying to poach talent, (which obv. isnt the case here) an unofficial/off the record meeting in a common environment is a way to avoid tampering.


i was called for an interview once by a very reputable company and he insisted on meeting me at a starbucks. i thought it was kind of strange at first, so i asked when we got there and he told me it was because he didn't want me to take time out of my day to "travel all the way" to his location and that "even i need a break from the show sometimes". it said a lot about him as a person.


and of course, there's the other side of the coin:

i. the company doesnt have an office
ii. they have an office, but its a dump
iii. they dont want to disclose any info until they feel you are "sold" on the job.
iv. its a scam of some sort
v. they have a bad reputation