Here's more information, including a choice bit from the bar owner:
What he never did, however, was notify anyone who worked at the bar, according to its owner, Volcker Staudt. That would have been the simplest way to get the phone back to the Apple employee who lost it, who "called constantly trying to retrieve it" in the days afterward, recalls Volcker. "The guy was pretty hectic about it."
From this piece:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/why-apple-could-sue-gawker-over-lost-iphone-story/19447570/The thief could even have sent an email to Steve Jobs, who's been pretty good about answering too. sjobs at apple.com