One entry point for one-time orders and subscriptions

Guided start can open with a one-time / subscription choice, so one “Choose my meals” link serves both instead of sending shoppers down two separate journeys. Both answers continue into the same menu; only checkout differs.

Steps

1. In Meal plans, set Purchase options to “Subscription and one-time purchase”. The step only appears for plans that sell both ways — there is nothing to choose otherwise.
2. Open Guided start and turn on Ask customers how they want to order, under Purchase options step.
3. Optional: rewrite the step title and both option labels and subtexts, for example “One-time order — try us without a subscription” and “Weekly plan — subscription with discounted pricing”. Leave a field blank to use the default wording.
4. Save, then link a single button or navigation item to /apps/menus.
5. For separate buttons, link Order once to /apps/menus?purchase=onetime and Subscribe to /apps/menus?purchase=subscription. Guided start carries that choice into checkout and opens at the next unanswered question. Keep the purchase step on for visitors who use the plain /apps/menus link.
6. Open that link and check both paths: the subscription option shows your subscribe-and-save (and welcome offer) price, the one-time option shows the plan price.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the step appear?

First for visitors who have not already chosen how to order. An explicit purchase=onetime or purchase=subscription link, or a valid selling_plan link from your product page, carries the choice forward and skips the question. Carried choices appear above the remaining steps with a Change button. Prices reflect the chosen purchase type.

Does this change anything for customers who buy from my product page?

A product-page link can carry both the purchase choice and variant. Guided start fills those answers and only asks the remaining questions, such as allergies. Customers can use Change to revisit a carried answer. If the link answers every question, they go straight to meal selection. A link's explicit choice takes priority over answers saved from an earlier visit.

Can a link also select the meal plan size?

Yes. Add &variant= followed by the Shopify variant ID, for example /apps/menus?purchase=onetime&variant=123456789. Replace the example ID with a variant of your connected meal plan product. For an additional meal plan product, also include &meal_plan= followed by that product ID. Plans & pricing buttons set these IDs automatically when their destination is Meal selection. Invalid or other-product variant IDs do not skip the size questions. Start over on the menu lets customers choose again.

Is the menu different for a one-time order?

No. Both answers open the same menu, the same weeks and the same selection limits. The difference is at checkout: a one-time order is placed without a subscription, so there is no renewal, no subscribe-and-save discount and no welcome offer.

The step is not showing on my storefront

Check three things: guided start itself is enabled, Purchase options step is on, and your meal plan's Purchase options are set to “Subscription and one-time purchase”. Public widget settings are cached for up to a minute, so allow a moment after saving.

Do I still need the Purchase options block on my product page?

Only if customers order from product pages. The block asks on the product page, the guided step asks in the menu flow — use whichever matches how customers reach you, or both.