On-going dispute with a Chinese restaurant?

To make a long story short, on the evening of July 12 2015 I was in a Chinese restaurant. It's called Red Palace and it's located at Tanglewood mall in Roanoke Virginia for those searching! I left a iPhone 5s at my table because I was very careless and I needed to get to a meeting. The next day I went back to retrieve my phone. I spoke the owner, a young guy, and he said he thinks he saw the phone however he is not sure. After consulting with the staff, he said the phone was not there and they did not have it. I had an app on my phone that can detect my iPhone's location, it said twice it was at their address. I went back to consult again, this is back in July- with the police. The police took statements but didn't do anything. They said I can't prove they have my iPhone. Now it's been a long time, the phone didn't have a passcode as it was just a business phone I used for making business calls. I can't trace it anymore because someone either deleted the app or manipulated it. I recently went back to the Chinese restaurant with a friend. I saw one of the staff with an iPhone 5s that looked so much like mine. I think it must have been mine. I demanded the staff show me the phone. They were not willing. The manager asked me to quit accusing his store of being full of thieves and to delete my Facebook posts about it. He said he would sue me for slander. I deleted my Facebook posts but I still have a gut feeling they have my iPhone 5s… Is there anything I can do?

Contact your carrier.

No -- there's nothing you can do.

and this is why you keep your phones locked

With find my iphone you should permanently lock it and put a msg on the screen saying stolen, they can't remove it.

You don't really have any proof, seeing someone with a phone is not proof.

I saw one of the staff with an iPhone 5s that looked so much like mine.
EVERY iPhone 5s looks 'so much like' yours. Someone stole your phone off the table, turned it off before leaving the restaurant, then removed the SIM card and sold the phone on Craigslist. Blaming the restaurant because YOU failed to do ANYTHING to secure your phone is ABSURD.

No and you do have the right to say your phone disappeared from where you left it.

It may have been in the trash when you tracked it and the battery may have died when you couldn't track it.

You have no right to demand to see an employee's phone. Mainly because iPhones all look alike.

You lost the phone. Get over it. I assume in the last 9 months you have at least had the phone service disconnected.

Red Palace Tanglewood 4490 Electric Rd Roanoke

Is it this one? There's another listing for Valley View. Roanoke has 2 Red Palaces?