How do you handle toddler tantrums in public?

A tale of toddler tantrums... today!

just got home from a mall. I witnessed a little boy, who's still non-verbal, trying to express something, through hand gestures to his dad. Out of frustration, because his parents couldn't understand him, he started crying. The dad then said, "Sige, bahala ka diyan!"

I felt so bad for the boy.

Does tough love still work? Some people in social media would say that gentle parenting is for the spoiled and weak.