While your explanation is generally interesting, and while I'm also not claiming that game theory is the only (or even the primary) variable in this situation, I feel the need to point out that one does not go from gas station to gas station and find that they came home with 30 gallons of gas after an accidental "shopping spree" at the gas mall.
While that is true, if you have equidistant from you two locations, one with one station, and one with four, then all other things being equal, you're going to go to the location with four stations - more price competition, less likelihood of queueing and the like.
Unfortunately, it could easily be the case that the mentioned price competition outweighs the value of increased traffic due to decreased queuing, given how incredibly small the margin on gas stations is (from what I've heard from friends that have managed them).
