Like The Dude, Jeff Bridges’ scrappy, cocktail-swilling character in “The Big Lebowski,” David and Monica Kowalski know how to abide. 

They held fast to their vision, despite the doubters saying it was a bad time to start a restaurant and that their chosen spot, in a shopping plaza atop Fillmore Hill, was a bad place to do it.

Almost three years after opening Lebowski’s Taproom at 3240 Centennial Blvd. – and launching a liquor label, going on a reality show and earning kudos for everything from their chicken wings to their burgers – the Kowalskis have a second location in the works on Colorado Springs east side. 

A grand opening’s still up in the air, but David Kowalski said that date could come as soon as next month. 

“May 18 is our aggressive deadline … (but) we definitely want to be open before Labor Day this year,” he said.

The couple opened the original iteration of their taproom in 2023, leaning heavily into the retro kitsch and catchphrases of a Coen brothers movie that, in the decades since its 1998 release, has slow-burned from indie quirk to cult classic, and into the cultural lexicon.

The film-themed and locavore-friendly pub features a menu of comfort food with dishes inspired by the film. Its eponymous Lebowski Burger, a Colorado-sourced beef patty served with a twist of creamy peanut butter and spicy jalapeno jam, has received multiple shout-outs, including being named in Forbes’ roundup of the best burgers nationwide to try “when it’s time to kick the classic up a notch.”

The up-and-coming east location – its vibe, taps and menu –  will be familiar to fans of the west side original, say the Kowalskis.

The space at 9633 Prominent Point, though…. Let’s just say it’s going to take more than a throw rug to tie the room together.

The 18,500-square-foot building near the intersection of Powers Boulevard and Briargate Parkway has housed a number of businesses over the years, including Till Kitchen, in what David Kowalski described as an incubator concept managed by the ownership group of which he’s now a part. He said that while Lebowski’s will take up the majority of the south side of the building, by late summer new neighbors including a “coffee shop and bakery concept” will have moved in to the north. 

Lebowski’s East will boast almost double the seating capacity of the original location. Monica Kowalski said she’s already begun fielding calls from event coordinators and meet-up groups who heard the news and are seeking a place to land. 

As at the original location, she said, there will be game nights, live music and comedy, as well as seasonal cooking demonstrations. The expansive open kitchen and greater customer space at the east side address mean no squeezing, shuffling – or early morning dough calls.

Because of the layout at Centennial, cooking lessons “had to be done pre-open hours,” Monica Kowalski said.

“So, now we don’t have to say, ‘Hey, you guys,be there at 8 a.m. to make tamales tomorrow,” she said.

Lebowski’s East has wiggle room to get even deeper into the bit, should such opportunities arise.

David Kowalski has a few ideas about where that might go. 

An ordained minister of the Church of the Later-Day Dude (yes, Dudeism is a real thing), Kowalski can legally perform civil services should anyone ask. 

He hopes someone does. 

“We’ve done a reception that was Lebowski themed before … but we haven’t done a full blown Lebowski-themed wedding yet,” he said, his gaze sweeping around the swanky event space at the building’s southwest corner, the soaring ceilings, the fireplace – and those striking views beyond. 

“Yeah,” he said, “that would be cool.”