I do eat out a fair bit on my tod (business travel, usually solo, and I refuse to confine myself to the hotel for eating) and usually don't have much trouble, but you have to adjust your expectations to your destination (I know I'm never going to get speedy service in Copenhagen, for example).

So I always take a book/kindle with me. You're never alone with something decent to read. And yes, you often do feel like something quicker, which does drive you to lower end places, but you can get some particularly interesting food in a less polished environment this way, which I rather enjoy.