So, you're meeting someone for the first time over coffee, a quick lunch, or a bite to eat. Who Pays?
Do you consider it a "first date" and expect the man to cover all the expenses, or do you look at it as a "pre dating interview" and plan on going dutch?
Would you press the issue or just let it slide?
Would it make any difference if he/she was good looking and pleasant, or ugly and unpersonable?
Would it make any difference if the meeting place was a greasy spoon or a nice sit down resturant?

well it's just meeting as friends so i say go dutch. then take it from there

If the guy invites/asks he should pay, no issue is involved. If you were interested in the first place then it really shouldn't make a difference as to where you meet, as to wether they are your type, guess thats why you are meeting the first time to find out.

I agree

Yeap I agree and it is always the guy asking me out. I might be the first to start conversation but I don't ask a guy out. I figure if they are interested they will ask you.

First meeting! Ugh! I agree with Carold if they're interested they will do the asking, and then when they suggest we should meet in person I usually opt for a "coffee date", and I prefer it be dutch, but if he offers to pay for my coffee he gets bonus points.Why bonus points? Shows that he is a gentleman. One first time meeting I went on the gent asked me to lunch then when we went to the restaurant he said he didn't eat lunch (said he only ate one time a day and that was in the evening). I ended up ordering a appetizer and diet Pepsi he ordered coffee and I paid for it.But that was ok, just that why invite me to lunch then tell me "I don't do lunch"?

I think it depends. If someone has to travel she/he shouldn't be paying for the coffee or whatever as well.

it's just coffee right. I think I could splurge and throw in another dollar for her coffee.

I agree with that.He was the one that asked me to meet for lunch. I don't think it was because he decided that I wasn't worth paying for lunch.Because we were going to meet again for a real date.He did have to travel a ways, but there were some "red flags", and the distance thing.

I'm still old school. I would want to pay the tab no matter how large.

I do understand that, but just imagine a woman meets someone for coffee and decides after she doesn't want to meet again.
If that was me, I wouldn't feel good about having him pay my bill, I would feel indebted to him, and I don't like that one bit.

As long as both people are in agreement with the situation I would not have a problem with that. I would, however, hope that she would still allow me to pay. I would feel bad if I was not able to.

First meeting would be nice for the guy to pay, although that's not carved in stone. I do offer to pay sometimes. Sometimes I even tell them ahead of time that it's on me.

Let me take this a step further.

If you as a woman were spending time online and on the phone with a guy and you wanted to meet but the funds would not allow it and he offered to pay your expenses to go visit would you take the time to meet?

As a guy if you wanted to meet someone would spend the money to fly them out and back?

I'll answer my own question. If her funds did not allow it and we wanted to meet I would pay her expenses out and back.

Why not just go visit her? She might be more comfortable in her own vicinity.

Either way would work. I would have to drive though, the thought of flying puts me on edge.

For me, I'd be happy to go dutch for the first meeting, but it would speak something about him if he offered to pay.

His "looks" might not make a difference, but if he were unpersonable it would. I've been on a couple dates where after awhile, I ran out of questions to ask or subjects to bring up, where the guy wouldn't carry on a conversation, that was uncomfortable so the date didn't last long.

Again, being the first date, I don't know that I'd want a "greasy spoon" to be the meeting place, but something with a nice atmosphere.

too bad

I been on a couple of first meetings over coffee that I seemed to be the one that had to carry the conversation, maybe he was nervous or just not interested enough to make a effort.Th last "date" I went on, we were supposed to have lunch together but when he told me he hated his work but been there 32 years and his ex was crazy. I excused myself and just left (I bad). I just got a bad feeling about him and just couldn't see myself dining with him.My ex used to call me crazy and stupid and put me down so I think that's why I just got a bad feeeling, if you can't say anything good about your ex just don't say anything at all until you know the person better. I'm not looking for a "beauty queen" (lol) but they have to at least have a sense of humor, be able to communicate, and have a good outlook on life.

I would say he ask you to lunch not to eat but to meet you and he probably would of got to see your sooner if it was for lunch.
And your right about that being a gentleman. :)