9. Unit-Based Compensation Arrangements

As described in Note 2, the Partnership recognizes compensation cost over the respective service period for employee services received in exchange for an award of equity, or equity-based compensation, based on the grant date fair value of the award. The Partnership measures liability awards under an equity-based payment arrangement based on re-measurement of the award’s fair value at the conclusion of each interim and annual reporting period until the date of settlement, taking into consideration the probability that the performance conditions will be satisfied.

Restricted Unit Plans. In fiscal 2000 and fiscal 2009, the Partnership adopted the Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. 2000 Restricted Unit Plan and 2009 Restricted Unit Plan (collectively, the “Restricted Unit Plans”), respectively, which authorizes the issuance of Common Units to executives, managers and other employees and members of the Board of Supervisors of the Partnership. The total number of Common Units authorized for issuance under the Restricted Unit Plans was 1,902,122 as of September 27, 2014. In accordance with an August 6, 2013 amendment to the Restricted Unit Plans, unless otherwise stipulated by the Compensation Committee of the Partnership’s Board of Supervisors on or before the grant date, all restricted unit awards granted after the date of the amendment will vest 33.33% on each of the first three anniversaries of the award grant date. Prior to the August 6, 2013 amendment, unless otherwise stipulated by the Compensation Committee of the Partnership’s Board of Supervisors on or before the grant date, restricted units issued under the Restricted Unit Plans vest over time with 25% of the Common Units vesting at the end of each of the third and fourth anniversaries of the grant date and the remaining 50% of the Common Units vesting at the end of the fifth anniversary of the grant date. The Restricted Unit Plans participants are not eligible to receive quarterly distributions on, or vote, their respective restricted units until vested. Restricted units cannot be sold or transferred prior to vesting. The value of the restricted unit is established by the market price of the Common Unit on the date of grant, net of estimated future distributions during the vesting period. Restricted units are subject to forfeiture in certain circumstances as defined in the Restricted Unit Plans. Compensation expense for the unvested awards is recognized ratably over the vesting periods and is net of estimated forfeitures.

The following is a summary of activity in the Restricted Unit Plans:


	Units			Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Unit
Outstanding September 24, 2011		485,423		$	32.71
Granted		108,674			32.60
Forfeited		(12,225	)		(30.78	)
Issued		(139,021	)		(33.14	)

Outstanding September 29, 2012		442,851			32.68
Granted		200,933			23.42
Forfeited		(3,497	)		(32.15	)
Issued		(112,660	)		(32.01	)

Outstanding September 28, 2013		527,627			29.30
Granted		256,273			37.43
Forfeited		(3,119	)		(28.39	)
Issued		(85,854	)		(31.23	)

Outstanding September 27, 2014		694,927		$	32.07

As of September 27, 2014, unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested restricted units awarded under the Restricted Unit Plans amounted to $8,255. Compensation cost associated with the unvested awards is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.4 years. Compensation expense for the Restricted Unit Plans for fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $7,390, $3,888 and $4,059, respectively.

Long-Term Incentive Plans. The Partnership has a non-qualified, unfunded long-term incentive plan for officers and key employees (the “LTIP”) which provides for payment, in the form of cash, of an award of equity-based compensation at the end of a three-year performance period. For the fiscal 2013 and 2012 awards, the level of compensation earned under the LTIP is based on the market performance of the Partnership’s Common Units on the basis of total return to Unitholders (“TRU”) compared to the TRU of a predetermined peer group consisting solely of other master limited partnerships, approved by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Supervisors, over the same three-year performance period. On August 6, 2013, the Compensation Committee of the Partnership’s Board of Supervisors adopted the 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan of the Partnership (“2014 LTIP”) as a replacement for the existing LTIP. As a result, for the fiscal 2014 award, the level of compensation earned under the 2014 LTIP is based on the average distribution coverage ratio over the three-year measurement period. The average distribution coverage ratio is calculated as the Partnership’s average distributable cash flow, as defined in the 2014 LTIP, for each of the three years in the measurement period, subject to certain adjustments as set forth in the 2014 LTIP, divided by the amount of annualized cash distributions to be paid by the Partnership, based on the annualized cash distribution rate at the beginning of the measurement period. Compensation expense, which includes adjustments to previously recognized compensation expense for current period changes in the fair value of unvested awards, for fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012 was $120, $1,439 and ($340), respectively. The cash payouts in fiscal 2014, 2013 and 2012, which related to the fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009 awards, were $-0-, $-0- and $3,336, respectively.