How Can I Create a Build-Your-Own Meal?

GoPrep's Variations allow you to create fully customizable meals where customers can build their own order by selecting proteins, sides, vegetables, optional extras, and even different meal sizes.
 

Please check this video for a Build-Your-Own Meal setup example.
 

A Build-Your-Own meal is created by combining three types of Variations:

• Components – Required or optional choices that make up the meal.
• Add-ons – Optional extras customers can purchase.
• Sizes – Different versions of the same meal, such as Small, Large, Family Size, etc.

Using these three features together gives you complete control over how customers customize their meals.
 

Components

Components are the foundation of a Build-Your-Own meal. They define the choices customers make when ordering.

Common examples include:

• Choose your protein
• Choose your carb
• Choose your vegetables
• Choose your sauce

Each Component contains one or more options. For example, a Choose your Protein component might include:

• Chicken
• Steak
• Salmon

You can control how customers interact with each Component by setting:

• Minimum selections – The minimum number of options a customer must choose.
• Maximum selections – The maximum number of options a customer can choose.

For example:

• Minimum: 1 / Maximum: 1 requires the customer to choose exactly one option.
• Minimum: 1 / Maximum: 2 requires at least one option, while allowing up to two.
• Minimum: 0 / Maximum: 2 makes the Component optional, but allows customers to select up to two options if they choose.

Additional Charges

Each option within a Component can have its own additional price (Price column)

For example:

• Chicken — Included
• Steak — +$1.00
• Salmon — +$3.00

When a customer selects an option with an additional charge, the extra cost is automatically added to the meal price.

In the example below, customers are required to choose one protein. Selecting Steak adds $1.50 to the meal price, while selecting Salmon adds $3.00. Choosing Chicken does not incur an additional charge.

 

Addons

Addons are optional extras customers can purchase in addition to the meal.

Examples include:

• Side Salad
• Extra Cheese
• Extra Sauce
• Drink
• Dessert

Customers are not required to select Addons. They simply choose any extras they'd like, and each Addon can have its own additional price.

Example of an Extra Protein addon for $2.50 extra.

 

Sizes

Sizes allow you to offer multiple versions of the same meal, such as Small, Large, Family Size.

Despite the name, Sizes are not limited to different portion sizes. They can represent any variation of the same meal, such as Low Carb, No Carb, Vegan, Gluten-Free, etc.

Think of a Size as a different version of the same menu item. Each Size can have its own:

• Base price
• Ingredient quantities
• Component options
• Addons 

For example, you could have a Small and Large version of a Build-Your-Own meal, or use Sizes to offer Balanced, Low Carb, and No Carb versions of the same meal while keeping everything under a single menu item.

Using Ingredients with Variations

If you're using recipes and nutrition tracking, you can assign ingredients directly to Component options and Addons.

For example:

• Chicken → 4 oz Chicken Breast
• White Rice → 1 cup White Rice
• Extra Cheese → 1 cup Cheese

When customers make their selections, GoPrep automatically builds the recipe using the ingredients assigned to each option.

Save Time When Creating Multiple Sizes

If your meal will have multiple Sizes, it's recommended to configure your Components, Addons, and their ingredients before creating additional Sizes.

Once you've added another Size, you can use the Duplicate Options for All Sizes feature to copy all Components, Addons, prices, and ingredient assignments to the new Size.

After duplicating them, you only need to make the adjustments that are different for each Size, such as:

• Increasing ingredient quantities.
• Changing option prices.
• Adding or removing specific ingredients.

This can save a significant amount of setup time compared to recreating every option from scratch.

 

Example

In the video below, you'll find an example of how to configure a Build-Your-Own meal using Components, Addons, and Sizes together.

Don't hesitate to contact GoPrep's Customer Support Team for further assistance.

You can do so by submitting a request or sending an email to [e-mail].