Final answer:
Seasonal changes to the menu help decrease food and labor costs and optimize inventory and food usage, thereby controlling overall menu costs.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a chef is preparing to make seasonal changes in the cafeteria menu, and similarly in the patient menu, this change helps to control menu costs in multiple ways. First, using seasonal foods that are available at their peak will decrease food costs because these ingredients are typically more abundant and thus less expensive. Secondly, incorporating seasonal ingredients can decrease labor or production costs since these are often easier to work with and require less preparation time. Lastly, this approach allows the management of inventory to optimize inventory and food usage, reducing waste and making sure ingredients are used efficiently before they go out of season. Therefore, the correct answer to how this change will help to control the menu cost is D. All of the above.