I have been searching for a second opinion of my theory but havent found one. So i would like to repeat that this is my personal opinion of a the difference between the two. The british called it a check when first inns of hotels were opened everyone paid cash. After banks were opened checks started. That is the normal check at that time there were no printing check and you had to actually "draw" a check. That is why the term "draw". So hotel would allow the rich and the famous to pay via checks. The hotel staff would draw the check themselves. That is why there is kind of snobhishness while saying "check please" becaue only a few had the priviledge to ask for a check. Outside or maybe in other countries the question of check never arose as this was not practiced. They straight away issued a bill which is an itemized list of dishes ordered with the total and you paid it immideatly. So now check still continued to be used in Hotels that is boarding houses where a guest of the hotel doesnt need to pay the bill. He just signs for it. So that also is referred to as check. So my theory is a check is something you dont pay for. A bill is something you pay for. Now your question is why is a bill in the restaurant called check? Well if the restaurant and not rooms and he is giving you a check then he is misusing the word. You can ask for the bill if you are paying it immideatly and there is no option for credit. If he corrects you, then lash back at him happened to me i asked for the bill in one of there new coffee chains and the waiter who wanted to show off corrected me by sayin "you mean check sir?". I still havent found anyone who had actually said the above. So i call it my own theory. But the history of check are true. And logically it is correct if you look deep into the basic meaning of the words. Check is just used as a fashion. Because nowadays nobody can draw checks so unless you are a guest at the hotel and are going to pay the bill later when you check out. It will always be called a bill. I hope this helps.

I have a new answer.....with a twist! Could the answer come from the gold mining days in the old west? a miner would take his discovered gold to an assayer to be weighed. the assayer would give the miner a receipt for his gold and its total value. the miner would then go about town, making purchases, using his gold receipt. the miner would sign a "check". store owner would then take the "check" to the assayer's office and would be paid in gold, for the miners purchases. this eliminated robberies. This system also applies to todays modern bank checking system. think about it and compare.