I remember my dad taking the extended family out to lunch, and going to pay with his check, only to be told they didn't accept them...Even back when checks were more common, a lot of places didn't accept them - or only accepted them if they were from a local bank or with a check guarantee card. Too many people passing off bad checks.
Luckily, my sister had enough money in her bank account to cover it, and paid with debit(he gave her the check), but he sure was embarrassed...